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BY Br. JOHN P. LEAHY, 0. P. S

IBuMm :

PRINTED BY WILLIAM POTV^

68, THOMAS-STEEET.

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ENTERED AT STATIONERS' HALL.

TO THE

VERY REV. W. V. HAROLD, D.D.

PRIOR PROVINCIAL

OF THE

<©rtr*r of Jfviavi fjmt&erjs m Ireland

THIS BOOK

WRITTEN IN OBEDIENCE TO HIS COMMAND

IS DEDICATED

AS A TRIBUTE, HOWEVER SLIGHT, OF AFFEC

TIONATE AND GRATEFUL RESPECT

BY HIS

DEVOTED SON IN CHRIST,

THE AUTHOR.

APPROBATION.

" I have read, by order of the Very Rev. the Provincial

of the Dominicans in Ireland, the manuscript of a work

written by Father Master Leahy, Prior of the Convent at

Cork, to be entitled, " The Book of the Rosary ;" and as

might be expected from the author's well-known learning,

judgment, piety, and taste, I find it to be free from all

doctrinal error, sound and practical in its moral instruc

tions, and breathing throughout a genuine spirit of Catholic

devotion. This exposition of the Rosary is most needful

at the present time : the materials are judiciously chosen,

the arrangement is lucid and methodical, and the composi

tion is elegant I therefore recommend it for publication,

trusting that its circulation will be equal to its merits.

" Br. Babth. Thomas Russell, O. P. Pried. Gen.

" St. Mary's, Cork,

27th Dec. 1842."

" In compliance with the wish of the Prior of the Irish

Dominican Province, I have carefully read the book called,

" The Book of the Rosary," by the Reverend John Pins

Leahy, O. P. I find nothing in it contrary to Catholic

doctrine and morals. It is, on the contrary, suited, in my

judgment, to the advancement of piety, and more especially

amongst those who stand most in need of instruction in

such matters.

" John Albert Ryan, D.D.

« Cork, 16th December, 1843."

CHAP. I.

" Fob behold, ibom henceforth all generations

SHALL CALL ME BLESSED." Luke i. 48.

It is with feelings of more than filial emotion that

Catholics, in every age, have vied with each other

in verifying this prediction. Knowing, as they do,

the invaluable benefits which have accrued to them

through the instrumentality of Mary ; persuaded,

as they are, that their dying Saviour bequeathed

her as a mother to all his followers, in the person

of St. John ;* believing that He, who wrought his

first miracle, even before his time, at her requests-

will not now refuse to hearken to her prayers, on

our behalf; seeing, in fine, that everything great

and good is embodied in her life, it is no wonder

that they have at all times spoken with rapture of

her spotless excellence, and placed the strongest

confidence in the efficacy of her intercession. They

feel as children contending for the reverence due to

a much-loved parent ; as grateful beings testifying

their acknowledgments to a constant benefactress ;

as Christians, speaking of the Mother of their God.

This veneration is not the growth of yesterday : it

* John xix. 27. f John ",

0

dates its origin from the very infancy of Christianity.

It existed in the dungeons and deserts, whither,

during three centuries, religion had to fly for shelter,

as vividly as it does now in the more than regal

magnificence of the Vatican. Indeed, the language

of the primitive martyrs regarding the Blessed Vir

gin, glows with a fervour which the most eloquent

panegyrics of a later day have scarcely caught.

St. Irenaens, the great bishop of Lyons, who was

instructed by Polycarp in all the sublime learning

which that illustrious martyr received from the lips

of the Evangelist St. John, hesitates not, in his ad

miration of the Mother of God, to assert, that as

Eve, by her disobedience, destroyed herself and the

whole human race, so Mary, by her obedience and

faith, saved herself and the whole human race.*

In the next century, St. Gregory, of Neocaesarea,

a prelate whose doctrine was ever held in the highest

veneration by the most gifted Fathers of the Chris

tian Church, addressing the Blessed Virgin, breaks

forth into the loftiest praises. " To thee," he says,

" most holy Virgin ! all nature, whether in heaven,

on earth, or in hell, pays a due veneration and wor

ship. Thou art, truly, the cherub throne; thou

sittest on the highest pinnacle of the heavenly

palace. Through thee, full of grace ! the holy and

consubstantial Trinity is manifested to the world.

Grant that we, also, may become partakers with

thee of thy perfect grace."f But listen yet longer,

and you will hear St. Ephrem of Edessa, a Father

of the fourth century, employing language calcu-

• Lib. iii. c. 33. f Horn. 3.

lated to shock a Protestant far more than any ex

pressions used at the present day. " Have pity on

us," he exclaims, " on us who are defiled by the

filth of sin, who have offended our God, our

Creator, and our Judge. Let not Satan triumph

over us. We have no other hope but in thee. To

thee, O Lady ! were we devoted from our mother's

arms ; thy clients have we ever been. For thou, O

spotless Virgin ! art our haven in storm—our help

in necessity. We cast ourselves under thy protec

tion ; we fly unto thee alone, humbly entreating that

thy most loving Son, our Saviour and Life-giver,

will not cut us off for our sins, nor, like a devouring

lion, seize on our wretched souls, nor destroy us

as the barren fig-tree."*

These heartfelt petitions to the Mother of God,

which are but specimens of the language employed

by the Fathers, will surely convince any unpreju

diced mind, that in the earliest ages of Christianity

the same veneration for the holiness, and dignity,

and trust in the maternal tenderness of Mary, was

felt as strongly as by the Catholics of later ages.

But if this could be questioned, a circumstance re

corded in the ecclesiastical annals of the century in

which St. Ephrem lived, would remove every doubt.

When a stupid sect of fanatics, called Collyridians,

presumed to worship the Blessed Virgin with extra

vagant honours, deifying her, in fact, and appointing

women to offer sacrifices at her altar, the prelates

of that day, though they execrated and anathema

tised the impious temerity of those wretched here-

* Serm. de laud. B. Virgin.

tics, took care to guard against any infringement

of the lawful veneration everywhere paid to the

Blessed Virgin. St. Epiphanius, for instance, far

from imitating the language of modern sectarians,

first explains the doctrine of the Church, which

declares that the Father, the Son, and the Holy

Ghost are to be adored, but that Mary is to be

honoured, and more than any of the other Saints ;

and having laid it down as an incontrovertible dogma,

that it was as impious to payher extravagant honour

as to deny her that which was justly due, he pro

ceeds to address her in rapturous terms. He calls

her the throne, the heaven, the temple of God ; he

affirms, that if we except God, she is superior to

all ; that by her, men became angels ; that by her,

the cross shone resplendent throughout the earth ;

that by her, death was trampled under foot ; that

by her, idolatry was destroyed, and the knowledge

of heaven attained.*

But striking as these passages must appear, pas

sages which might be multiplied a hundred-fold ;

containing, as they do, expressions more startling to

those who dissent from our faith, than any used by

us at present, (for the Fathers had no reason to

dread that their words would be tortured into a

sense which they never intended) ; yet the venera

tion paid to the Blessed Virgin will be still more

convincingly learned from the excitement and in

dignation of Christians whenever any of her pre

rogatives were impugned. In the commencement

of the fifth century, Nestorius, the eloquent but

• Orat. de laud B. Virg.

shallow-minded Patriarch ofConstantinople, fancied,

that as there are two natures in Christ, so there

must he two persons ; and that consequently, Mary

was the mother merely of the human person, de

priving her thereby of the most glorious title of

Mother of God. But this error, so revolting to

the piety of Christians, and to their veneration for

the Blessed Virgin, was no sooner broached than it

was denounced even in his own church, and to his

very face. And, notwithstanding the power of his

eloquence, the influence of his station, and the sup

port of a corrupt court and a weak sovereign, it met

the fate of all heresies. Bishops from every part

of the Christian world assembled at Ephesus, to

pronounce a formal judgment regarding it, and on

the day of their meeting, the inhabitants of that

great city, casting aside every other occupation,

waited with intense anxiety to learn the result of

their deliberations; and no sooner was it ascertained

that Nestorianism was condemned, and Mary, in

conformity with the universal belief, proclaimed

Mother of God, than shouts of exultation burst

from the assembled multitude, and illuminations

and rejoicings testified the depth of their devotion

to their ever-glorious patroness. And, in more re

cent times, whenever arrogant men, setting up

their own vapid conceits against the belief of

Christendom, sought to persuade the world that

the honour of the Redeemer could not be secured

without stripping his Mother of the respect which

all ages had paid her, the Church, jealously care

ful of the rich deposit of faith intrusted to its

keeping, and solicitous for a continued veneration

10

of her to whom, after God, it felt indebted for the

lustre of holiness which beams around it, took oc

casion even from the efforts of error to testify, in a

still more emphatic manner, its veneration for

Mary, by multiplying festivals in her honour, and

instituting and encouraging forms of devotion,

such as the admirable combination of mental and

vocal prayer, called the Rosary.

Against such pious exercises, the enemies of re

ligion have uniformly directed their most bitter in

vectives, and what is more surprising, there have

been found individuals who, acknowledging that the

Catholic veneration of the Virgin Mother is not

the idolatrous and superstitious practice which so

many Protestants consider it, yet permit them

selves to talk slightingly of such prayers as the Ro

sary ; and with an assumption of superior wisdom—

an assumption which would be ludicrous if it were

not lamentable—pretend to despise the pious indi

viduals who enrol themselves into a society formed

to recite and perpetuate that excellent form of

prayer. From the senseless sneers of such per

sons, the Rosary, and the confraternities attached

to it, shall be vindicated, when it is first shown that

the Catholic veneration for the Blessed Virgin,

and confidence in her intercession, deserve not the

aspersions so frequently flung out against them.

In this as in every other controversy, our

Church has to complain that her tenets are cruelly

misrepresented. Instead of learning our doctrine

from those best able to explain what it really is,

namely, from Catholics themselves, our opponents

invent a creed for us; insisting in despite of

11

every disclaimer, that we believe the absurdities

and blasphemies which they so charitably impute

to us. Thus are we gravely assured, that we pay

an idolatrous worship to the saints, and adore the

Virgin as a goddess !

The reproach is as false as it is insulting. The

Catholic Church considers the saints, however ex

alted, as mere worms when contrasted with the

Divinity. She loudly proclaims, that their glory is

but darkness, their virtue but a speck, their dignity

abject lowliness, in comparison with him who is

the Sun of Justice, the unspotted Lamb, the

God at whose single wish myriads of worlds

sprung into existence. She declares that the holi

est and greatest of all created beings, the spotless

Virgin, whom the messenger of heaven saluted as

one filled with the most precious treasures of the

Almighty ;* the glorious Mother of God, whom

all generations have, aye, and in despite of every

calumny, shall to the end of time call bless

ed ; it is our unvarying doctrine, that even this

wonderful woman is but a creature, and consequent

ly immeasurably and inconceivably inferior to her

Son and Creator. Nay, the Church is as ready

to-day as it was in the fourth century, to cast from

her bosom any fanatic who could be senseless

enough to pay divine honours to Mary. True it is,

that, notwithstanding this belief, we still religious

ly reverence the saints, and more especially the

Mother of the Redeemer. But is it not rational

that we should ? Are not tokens of respect given

* Luke i. 28.

12

to, and even exacted by those who are invested

with any worldly dignity ? Do not the sturdy in

dividuals who would scorn to reverence mere

power, bend almost instinctively before the sage,

the hero, or the patriot ? Do not the proudest

nobles of the land respectfully bow even to the

vacant throne ? And if this reverence be unhesi

tatingly yielded to the passing greatness of this

earth, nay to its empty emblems, are we to be

told that we act superstitiously and idolatrously

because we venerate the friends of our God, the

princes of heaven, the royal race whose crowns

are imperishable, men who poured forth their life-

blood to transmit to us pure and unsullied the

truths, without which existence would be a curse ;

or who taught us by their glorious example how

every virtue may be cultivated, every temptation

overcome, how life may be brightened by all the

holiness of the Gospel, and the darkest clouds of

death lit up into dazzling splendour by the firm

hope of those rich rewards which God has reserved

for unshaken fidelity in the observance of his pre

cepts ?

Is it an answer to assert, that civil reverence

may, but that religious veneration must not be

given to any created being ? What ! is not vene

ration a tribute of respect paid to some pre-emi

nence in rank or in worth ? Is not the source

from which it springs, the dignity, wisdom, or vir

tue of the individual to whom it is tendered ?

The more eminent that dignity, wisdom, or virtue,

the greater, consequently, the veneration. Hence

arise the different degrees of veneration ; which

13

degrees may, if you will, receive different names.

Thus as civil rank is inferior to moral or intellec

tual excellence : we pay the magistrate or noble less

heartfelt respect, than we give the patriot, who

preserved the liberties of our country, or the sage,

who adorned it with the lustre of his genius. But

as the dignity and holiness and mental grandeur

to which God has been pleased to raise his saints,

are pre-eminently superior to whatever can be

found in this life, we, in humble and grateful re

verence for the gifts of God, yield to those great

beings a much higher degree of respect than to

any individual still subject to sin and misery.

And when any of the saints partake yet more

largely than others in the favours of their Creator,

(for there are different degrees of excellence even

amongst the saints), our respect is proportionally

increased, as is the case with regard to the Blessed

Virgin. Now, if this be proper, and assuredly

common sense dictates that it is ; if this be allow

able, it matters not much by what appellation you

call it, whether you term it civil or religious vene

ration.

But, do we not read in the Apocalypse, (c. xix.)

that when St. John attempted to worship the angel

who appeared to him, that heavenly messenger

strictly forbade him, desiring him worship God ;

therefore, conclude our opponents, it is unlawful

to worship an angel.

Now, how does that follow, if St. John, from

the splendour which surrounded him, mistook the

angel for God himself, as it is said he attempted

to adore him ? How does it follow, if the angel,

14

reverencing the heroic virtues and eminent dignity

of the evangelist, would not suffer profound marks

of submissive respect to be tendered by one so

highly exalted. Neither of these suppositions is

absurd, whereas the Protestant inference from the

text is utterly so ; as maintaining that the worship

of angels and saints is superstitious and derogatory

to the honour of God, nay condemned by the

first commandment, it yet holds, that St. John, the

beloved disciple, the virgin who imbibed wisdom

from the bosom of the Redeemer, the teacher of

the Churches of Asia, the apostle, the martyr,

and the prophet, was so ignorant of the precepts

of his religion, that towards the end of his glorious

career he tendered a superstitious and, as some

term it, an idolatrous worship to an angel. Does

not every pious mind revolt at so gross a charge

against the illustrious apostle ? But this is not

all. Having learned, as our opponents will have

it, that the reverence he was tendering was unlaw

ful, does St. John profit of the information ?

Far from it. A short time afterwards, as we read

in the last chapter of the Apocalypse, he repeats

the act, and again sullies himself with an act of

superstition, if not of idolatry, superadding the

guilt of obstinacy. Is it not evident from the ab

surdity of all this, that St. John's inference from

the words of the angel, was very different from

that of modern sectarians ; and that, notwithstand

ing those words, he deemed it quite lawful to pay a

homage of respect, such as Abraham* and Josuef

had exhibited ages before him ?

* Genesis xviii. 2. f Josue v. 15.

15

What then, it may be asked, does St. Paul

mean, when he warns the Colossians against allow

ing themselves to be seduced into voluntary humi

lity and the religion of angels ?

Consult history, and you will find, that in the

very days of the apostles there were heretics who had

the impious temerity to assert, that this world was

created by angels and not by God ; and that the

Deity was too exalted to bestow any attention on

beings so inferior in nature as men : hence, that

prayers should not be offered to God, but to those

angels. This was the false humility and worship

of angels condemned by the apostle. Daille, one

of the ablest of Protestant controversialists, ac

knowledges that the text refers not to our doctrines,

but to some superstitions of the times.* The

passage, indeed, affords one amongst innumerable

proofs of the necessity of extensive knowledge,

and consequently of the incapability of the larger

portion of mankind to understand the Scriptures

aright, alluding, as they constantly do, to customs,

opinions, and errors, which, if not quite forgotten,

can be ascertained or guessed at only by the

learned.

The doctrine of the Catholic Church, recom

mending its children to testify respect towards

God's friends and faithful servants—a doctrine so

consonant to reason and to the common sense of

mankind—has been the doctrine of Christians

* Lib. iii. de Relig. cultus objecto, cap. xxxi. The ad

mission cited above, he endeavours to fritter away by a

negative argument ; one singularly inconclusive.

le

from the earliest ages. The best informed amongst

our opponents admit, that it existed in the fourth

century ; the very period in which the virtues and

talents of Athanasius, of Basil, of Gregory, of

Hilary, of Ambrose, and of a host of the greatest

Fathers of the Church, shed an imperishable

splendour around the Christian name. It re

quired, however, not a little boldness to ascribe

the commencement of this doctrine to a period

so late even as the fourth century. St. Justin,

the Martyr, who suffered in the century after

the death of Christ, in a formal account of

the tenets held by Christians, addressed to the

emperor Antoninus Pius, expressly declares that

" we worship and adore God the Father, and the

Son, who came and taught us these things ; and

also his band of followers and the good angels ;

and we worship them by words and deeds, even as

we ourselves have been taught and instructed."—

Apol. ii. Here, in the very first work in which we

have anything like a systematic account of the

Christian religion, is this veneration of the saints

put forward in even stronger terms than we em

ploy at the present day. In the next century, St.

Cyprian, who was beheaded in the year 258, writes

from the place of his exile to his priests at Car

thage, bidding them note down the days in which

any of the confessors should die in prison, that

their anniversaries might be celebrated with the

honours always paid to those of the martyrs.*

Here, then, are proofs, that what the Fathers of

• Ep. 37.

17

the fourth century confessedly believed, was no

fond fancy of their own invention, but a tenet

which they could trace up through the two pre

ceding centuries, even to the days of the apostles.

But Catholics not only honour the saints, they

also address prayers to them, " and in this,"

say our adversaries, " they act, if not idolatrously,

at least in a manner derogatory to the merits and

mediatorship of the Redeemer."

Now, it is absolutely impossible for any sectari

ans, be they who they may, to ascribe more efficacy

to those merits and that mediatorship, than the

Catholic Church does. She declares, that there

are no other means under heaven by which man

can be saved ; that but for them, every descendant

of Adam would be eternally ruined ; that so far

from the saints helping us independently of them,

they are the very sources whence the saints derive

their holiness and their influence with the Re

deemer. If, then, a Catholic asks the prayers of

the saints, it is not that he expects that these ex

alted beings can of themselves afford him any

succour ; neither is it that he would blasphemously

attribute to them a degree of compassion and mer

cy not found in the Saviour. It is, that he believes,

—and even reason, unwarped by prejudice, will vin

dicate the belief—that God will grant to the peti

tions of his faithful servants what he may refuse to

one who has offended him. It is, that though he

willingly acknowledges the boundless mercy of the

God of goodness, he cannot forget that he is also

a God of justice, and, therefore, like the penitent

publican, he kneels at a distance from the throne

18

of grace, but at the same time commits his cause

to spirits resplendent with the effulgency shed on

them by the ever-during love of God, hoping that

they may induce the great Mediator to blot out by

his merits the stains of their sins. Is this deroga

tory to the Redeemer ? When a criminal entreats

the friends of his sovereign to exert their influence

in obtaining his pardon, does he act injuriously or

disrespectfully towards the monarch ? Does he

not, on the contrary, testify his reverence much

more emphatically than if he were to seek it of him

self ? But what need of arguing ? Protestants

themselves allow, as is indeed manifest from the

Scriptures, that we may request the prayers of

God's friends while they remain on earth ; and if

this be not derogatory to the merits and mediation

of Christ, by what process of reasoning can it be

shown, that it is derogatory to ask it of those same

persons when removed from the evils of this life,

and placed amongst the just for evermore ? To

sum up all, the Catholic doctrine is precisely this:

we believe, that unless by the merits of Christ, no

one was or can be saved ; that, unless through the

mediation of Christ, no one was or can be saved.

But we maintain, that some means are necessary to

obtain that mediation and the application of those

merits ; else prayers of every description, and even

faith itself, would be superfluous. Now, we hold

that the prayers of God's assured friends are

much more likely to obtain that mediation and

that application, than the prayers of those who are

still subject to sin and misery.

It has indeed been asked, how can the sain is

1!)

hear us ? They cannot fathom the secrets of

hearts; how can they ascertain our mental prayers ?

They are in heaven, not on earth; how, then,

can they hear even the prayers which are vocal ?

Suffer a Catholic to ask in return, what will you

believe in religion, or even in nature, if you refuse

your assent until you ascertain how it is effected ?

How is it, that there are three Persons in one God

—that the Father is God, that the Son is God,

that the Holy Ghost is God ; and yet that there is

but one God ? Can you understand that ? How

is it, that the eternity of God had no beginning ?

How is it, that the God of life died upon a cross ?

Or, to come to matters with which we are familiar :

how is it, that your hand moves as your mind de

sires ? How can a spiritual substance act on a

body ? Yet shall I deny the fact, because I can

not conceive the mode ? Assuredly not. Neither

should you object to prayers to the saints, because

you cannot understand how they hear you. This

is a sufficient answer; yet there is another, to

some minds, perhaps, still more satisfactory. Our

divine Redeemer informs us, that there is joy in

heaven before the angels of God, over one sinner

that does penance. Now, when you can inform

Catholics how the angels ascertain the repentance

of a sinner—repentance which is a concern of the

heart—it will be then time enough to inquire, how

those exalted beings hear our petitions.

Prayers to the saints, founded, as they are, on

principles laid down in the Scriptures, and sanc

tioned by the example of Jacob, who called on the

angel who delivered him from all evils, to bless

20

Ephraim and Manasses,* always prevailed in the

Church of God. Hence we find Origen, in his

first homily on Ezechiel, praying to an angel to

guard and instruct one who was converted from

the evil of his ways. We find St. Basil, in his

oration on the Forty Martyrs, exhorting both the

happy and the afflicted, to have recourse to those

illustrious saints. We find St. Gregory Nazian-

zen, in his twentieth sermon on St. Basil, thus

addressing his departed friend : " Do thou look

down from heaven, and direct our life in the way

most conducive to salvation." We find St. Gre

gory of Nyssa, in his oration on St. Theodore the

Martyr, begging of him to intercede for their

common country. We find St. John Chrysostom,

in his forty-fifth sermon on St. Meletius, exhorting

all, magistrates and people, to pray to the saint

that their charity might be increased. We find

St. Ambrose, in the ninth chapter of his book on

Widows, declaring that our guardian angels are to

be invoked. And to conclude the list, we find the

six hundred Fathers of the Council of Chalcedon,

in the eleventh action, exclaiming, " Flavian lives

after death : may the martyr pray for us !"

If any other proof were wanted of the belief on

the invocation of saints, professed by the ancient

Church, the history of Vigilantius would furnish

one that is unanswerable. In the year 404, that

individual began to dogmatise, asserting, among

other errors, that it was unlawful to pray to the

saints. St. Jerome instantly denounced his opinion

* Genesis xlviii. 16.

21

as heretical, and urged against him the very ar-r

guments which Catholics employ at present. Vi-

gilantius was expelled from the Church ; and so

much at variance were his tenets with the general

belief of Christendom, that he found no followers.

Even the Nestorians and Eutychians, who soon

afterwards separated from the Church, with an

enmity which attacked every tenet they deemed

vulnerable, never breathed a murmur against the

invocation of saints. Indeed Luther himself did

not hesitate to declare, that he held, with the whole

Church, that the saints were to be honoured and

invoked.

When we have proved the truth of our tenets,

regarding the honour and invocation of the saints,

we have established the Catholic doctrine regard

ing the Blessed Virgin. We undoubtedly pay a

much higher degree of honour to the Mother of

God than to any other saint ; because this honour

is a tribute rendered to the worth or station of an

individual, and the Blessed Virgin possessed more

unsullied virtue, and is more highly exalted, than

any other created being. But though differing in

degree, the honour tendered to the Blessed Virgin

and to the saints, is the same in nature. Hence

the proofs of the one demonstrate the other.

But are not the addresses to the Blessed Virgin

sometimes used by Catholics and inserted in books

of devotion, too enthusiastic, and if taken in a

literal sense, must they not be considered extra

vagant, and calculated to alienate the minds and

shock the prejudices of Protestants ?

Not more so than those sanctioned by the earli

22

est and most illustrious Fathers of the Church ;

by men who lived at a period when the voice of

the apostles was as yet almost resounding in the

ears of the faithful. Did not St. Irenaeus declare

that Mary saved the human race, although the as

sertion, if understood in a strictly literal sense,

would be false and blasphemous ? Did St. Gre

gory Thaumaturgus hesitate to proclaim, that it

was through Mary the Trinity was manifested to

the world ? Do we not find St. Ephrem declaring

that we have no hope but in her ? Are not such

expressions even more enthusiastic than any insert

ed in our books of devotion ? But, in truth,

when the mind is enlarged by the contemplation

of dazzling excellence, or the heart swells with

gratitude and love, it spurns a cold, critical at-,

tention to the literal propriety of expression.

Bold and animated figures furnish the natural lan

guage of admiration and of the affections. Even

in ordinary life we thank a benefactor, and express

fondness for those we love, in terms which, if

closely scrutinised and nicely weighed, would ap

pear extravagant, if not ludicrous. Yet what

parent in the endearment between him and his

child, what affectionate child in testifying its love

for a tender father, would stop to examine whether

his language could stand the test of criticism ?

And can we who believe that Mary was more than

a mother to us in fondness and affection ; who feel

persuaded that she ever prays for us with untiring

solicitude ; who are lost in admiration at the height

of her glory, and dazzled with the unclouded

effulgency of her virtues ; who, above all, know

23

her to be the very Mother of our God and Re

deemer ; can we possibly find in the most impas

sioned language terms sufficiently glowing to express

our sentiments of admiration and love for this most

wonderful of creatures ? Do we not consider all

our words tame and cold in comparison with those

we should employ, could human language supply

them ? Do we not wish for the coal of fire caught

from beneath the throne of God, to touch our lips,

as it did those of Isaias, that we may speak

worthily of Mary ? Or are we every moment to

place fetters on our affections, and to weigh all

out words before we give them utterance, lest, for

sooth, we may offend the religious sensitiveness of

those who think proper to quarrel with a practice

so consonant to the best dictates of nature ?

Enough is it for a Catholic to be at all times ready

to proclaim his belief that the Mother of God,

however sublimely exalted, is still immeasurably

inferior to her Son and Redeemer. Enough is it,

that in the most formal terms he scouts as impious

every idea of giving to Mary the honour due to

God alone. Enough is it, that he assures you,

that much as he may love and admire the tender

ness and perfections of this glorious Virgin, he

knows full well that they are but an emanation—

oh ! how feeble in the comparison—from the

boundless holiness, the infinite mercy of the God

whom we adore ! When he declares that such is

his belief, you cannot quarrel with the energy and

warmth with which he addresses the most gifted of

God's creatures, without losing sight of the most

obvious maxims of common sense, the most sim

ple rules that govern the use of language.

24

Of all the forms of devotion to the Blessed Vir

gin, the Rosary recommends itself by its peculiar

excellence. It unites the various merits of mental

and of vocal prayer. The attention is recalled

from the distracting cares of life, and directed

heavenwards by the recital of one of those stu

pendous and incomprehensible acts of love which

the Man-God displayed towards us, or of the he

roic virtues and sublime dignity which he has be

stowed on his Virgin Mother. And when the bet

ter feelings of nature are touched, and the mind

lifted from the grovelling pursuits of earth, and

the heart laid open for every salutary impression,

then is the petition taught by the Redeemer him

self, poured forth before the throne of mercy, and

the ever-blessed Virgin is repeatedly entreated to

intercede for us with her Son, that we may obtain

the objects of that petition, as well as every other

blessing : the prayer concludes by glorifying the

three Persons of the Godhead, and thus profess

ing our faith in the leading tenet of Christianity.

In this there is nothing over-refined or farfetched.

It is suited to the capacities of all. The Christian

philosopher has delighted in its simple beauty ;

and the poor negro slave has solaced many a

weary hour by reciting it, and thinking over the

glad tidings it announces—that those who are

despised and trampled under foot by the lawless

wantonness of power, are dearer far to the Re

deemer than the haughty and unfeeling tyrant ;

that the path of sufferings, hallowed by the foot

steps of a God, is the path to a glorious throne ;

and that there is a world beyond the grave, where

25

the injustice of this shall cease, and a crown of

immortal effulgency, and robes of unfading light,

and torrents of inebriating rapture, be the eternal

reward of those who, in meek resignation to the

dispensations of their heavenly Father, have borne

patiently the afflictions of this short and at best

miserable existence.

No wonder that such a form of prayer should

have spread throughout every kingdom of the

globe. No wonder that every Catholic worthy of

the name, takes care to teach it to his children,

and recites it every evening in the bosom of his

family. No wonder that during the last six centu

ries, countless millions have enrolled themselves in

the association whose object it is to repeat this

prayer, and to learn from it lessons of the purest

and most exalted virtues. No wonder that the

Church, exulting in their devotion, and consoled

amidst the deluge of iniquity that almost covers

the earth, by their regular attendance at the

sacraments, their zeal for religion, their fraternal

charity and unfeigned humility, should have pro

fusely bestowed on them the treasures of merits

confided to her keeping, by granting them num

berless indulgences ; or that to their prayers she

ascribes one of the most signal victories of modern

times, the victory which, at Lepanto, broke down

the power of the Mussulman, and hindered the

blind and sensual superstition of Mahommed from

effacing every trace of civilisation and piety on the

earth.

True it is, that such associations .have been as

sailed by the conceited folly which mistakes par

20

tial observation and crude conclusions for import

ant and philosophical discovery. True it is, that

the beads and scapulars, the badges of those who

are enrolled in the society of the Rosary, have

been considered fit subjects for the pointless sar

casms of narrow-minded witlings. But it was

ever thus with all that is most intimately inter

woven with religion. The all-saving cross itself

was folly to the short-sighted conceit of this world.

Yes ; and that same world, in the insolence of its

brutal wit, flung the garment of a fool around the

eternal Wisdom of the Father ! Did a presump

tuous scoffer possess the spirit of true philosophy

—of philosophy which derives its deductions not

from fanciful theories, but from a patient investi

gation of the wants and aspirations of human na

ture—he would perceive, that the sluggishness of

men even in the best pursuits, requires to be sti

mulated by the powerful aid of example and as

sociation ; that the majority of mankind never did

and never can understand mere abstractions ; that

they stand in need of forms and sensible helps to

devotion, and that the Church, like the apostle,

must become all to all, to gain all to Chri3t.

Had those who sneer at the scapular, listened to

the voice of experience, they would have learned

how often it has prevented the perpetration of

crime ; how often it has served as a second and,

strange as the fact may appear, a more irresistible

conscience. Many could relate how, when about

to yield to temptation, that sacred badge, resting

on their bosoms, suddenly recalled their religious

feelings, and hushed the storm of passion which

27

was threatening their destruction. But those so

cieties and their emblems have a much more so

lid support than any reasoning of mine. They

are approved and blessed by the Church of Christ.

That Church, whose wisdom is as far superior to

the shallow sophistry of the self-called philosopher,

as heaven is above the earth. And the names of

such gifted men as a Charles Borromeo, a Francis

of Sales, a Vincent of Paul, a Bossuet, a Fene-

lon, a Pascal, enrolled amongst their members,

prove that the judgment of the Church is in ac

cordance with the sentiments of the real philoso

pher ; of those philosophers who live for the be

nefit of their race, and who, when departing from

this world, leave the moral horizon illuminated

and beautified by the lustre of their example.

Undoubtedly those societies are not indispensable

to religion. The Church existed before them,

and would continue to exist, were they to cease on

to-morrow. Yet they are the outworks of the

faith. They mantle and shelter the venerable

building, while they are memorials of its antiquity.

And at a period like the present, when the infidel

spirit of this world, availing itself of those con

vulsions in society which seem the throes of some

new state of mankind, seeks to wrest them to its

own unhallowed purposes, it behoves every Catho

lic to come manfully forward, and make no unholy

compromise, nor yield a foot of that vantage ground

on which he stands, nor suffer a profane hand to

touch a single ornament that beautifies the ever

lasting Church of Christ.

But why address such admonitions to Irish

28

Catholics ? Were thty ever deterred by shal

low sarcasms, or even the iron hand of persecu

tion, from upholding whatever could inspire a filial

respect for the Mother of God ! Was not a reve

rential love for that glorious Virgin inhaled by us

almost with the first breath of life ? Can we not

trace it back amidst our earliest feelings, until they

melt into the dreams of infancy ? Is it not inter

twined with the happiest and purest recollections of

the morning of our existence ? Do we not feel

convinced, that to the intercession of Mary, we

owe our preservation from many a danger in the

fearful period of youth ? Was not the example

of her virtues the bright beacon that guided us in

safety over the dark and tempestuous ocean of

life ? And in the day of sorrow, when we sunk

helplessly beneath the rude blow of affliction, were

not our broken spirits bound up, was not the oil of

serenity poured on the festering wounds of our

affections, when we looked up to Mary, and

thought on the unquailing fortitude with which she

stood by the cross, while her heart—that heart

overflowing with melting tenderness—was lace

rated, pierced, as the aged prophet foretold, with a

sword of grief, as she witnessed the agonising tor

tures of Him, whom she loved with more than

seraphic ardour, and especially in that dreadful

moment, when, amidst the gloom and convulsion of

nature mourning over the death-pangs of a God,

she caught his dying look, as it struggled through

the blood streaming from the wounds with which

his venerable brows were furrowed, to behold for

the last time that sinless creature, the only object

29

worthy of his regard in a world which had re

quited him with such hase ingratitude. Yes ; when

we call to mind the consolation, the lessons, the

succour we have received through the instrumental

ity of Mary ; that she has been to us a parent, a

guide, an intercessor; how can we refrain from

encouraging and applauding those who, day after

day, testify their veneration for this exalted

woman ? How can we restrain the happy impulse

which prompts us to join our voices with theirs in

accomplishing the prophecy, that all generations

shall call her blessed ? Amidst the wildest storms

of the long and dreary night of persecution which

swept over our native land, the voice that pro

claimed the excellence of Mary and sought her

intercession, was never hushed. The beads were

grasped in hands from which every other earthly

possession was torn. And well did she repay that

unshaken fidelity. To her intercession, under

God, are we indebted for the preservation of the

priceless treasure of faith, through many a dis

astrous struggle ; and now that the tempest has

past by, may the day perish in which Catholic

Ireland will forget its gratitude to thee, thou ever

glorious Virgin ! or cease to transmit from gene

ration to generation, an ardent love for thy tender

ness—the deepest veneration for thy spotless

sanctity !

But never shall that day arrive ! No : despite

the cold sneer of the callous-hearted infidel, de

spite the outcries of the fanatic, despite the mis

representations of the prejudiced and the unreflect

ing, still—still will we reverence in thee the most

c

30

sublime virtue of which created nature is capable.

Still will we, with the archangel, salute thee as

filled with the highest gifts of thy Creator. Still

will we, with thy inspired cousin, recognise thee

as the most blessed amongst women ! Still will

we, with the whole Church, ever give thee the

greatest and most wonderful of all titles, that

which proclaims thee to be the Mother of thy

God ! Still will we lay at thy feet the fragrant

garland of our prayers, and believe that in

so doing, we are the more emphatically testifying

our homage to him who condescended to be born

of thee. But, oh ! by that tenderness thou didst

imbibe from thy close contact with the Source of

mercy and compassion, cease not to intercede for

us wretched sinners ! Thy prayers preserved the

invaluable blessing of faith ; obtam for us this still

greater boon, that faith may shine forth in all our

conduct ; that our actions may not belie our pro

fessions ; that while we glory in following an hum

bled and mortified God, we may not sacrifice to

vanity or be the slaves of pleasure ; that while we

believe that we are destined to reign throughout all

eternity in unimagined dignity and happiness, we

may not devote our time and affections to the piti

ful frippery of this earth, the wretched consola

tion of our prison-house ; that, members of a reli

gion of holiness, we may never wallow in the sink

of vice ; in a word, that we may learn from thy

example humility, obedience, condescension, cha

rity, unswerving resignation ; virtues, which, ema

nating from thy Son, were faithfully reflected in

thee, thou pure mirror of all Justice ! And when

31

the shadows of the evening of life shall be fast

gathering around us, Star of the Morning ! thou

who ere now didst arise in thy mild effulgency on

a dark world of sin and sorrow, the precursor of

salvation, be to us the harbinger of the eternal

day which knows no night ; and in that awful

hour on which our eternal destiny depends—incon

ceivable torture or rapturous bliss—while all the

powers of hell shall be ravening around us, Mother

of God ! remember how often through life we have

implored thy succour for this fearful trial. Oh !

obtain the most precious of all graces, the grace

of final perseverance ; so that closing our eyes on

this wretched valley of exile and of tears, we may

open them in the realms of everlasting joy, and

feast our vision for evermore with the entrancing

sight of the blessed fruit of thy womb, our Lord

and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom, with the Fa

ther and the Holy Ghost, be honour, power, and

glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

32

CHAP. II.

" Wefly under thy patronage, O holy Mother of God .'"—St.

Ephbem of Edessa,* in bis Sermon on the Praises of

the Virgin.

What is the Rosary ?

A form of vocal and mental prayer in honour of

Jesus Christ and his blessed Mother, consisting of

the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation, and the

' Glory be to the Father,' &c, recited a certain

number of time3, accompanied with meditations

on the most important and touching mysteries of

our redemption.

Why is it called the Rosary ?

Because, like a choice and well-arranged col

lection of the sweetest flowers, it is supposed to

present to the pious soul in the prayers and medi

tations of which it is composed, all that is most

beautiful and fragrant in devotion.

What was its origin ?

It was instituted by St. Dominick more than

six hundred years ago, when the wicked sect of

the Albigenses were propagating the most revolting

doctrines against many adorable mysteries of re

demption, and were outraging the venerated name

of the blessed Mother of God. To counteract

* This great man died A.D. 379.

33

the malignant efforts of these heretics, St. Domi-

nick exhorted the faithful to frequent meditation on

the chief events in the history of our Saviour's

life, sufferings, and triumphs, and to honour and

invoke the Blessed Virgin. And to furnish them

with an easy and practical method of adoring the

Blessed Trinity, contemplating the principal mys

teries of redemption, and imploring the interces

sion of the holy Virgin, he composed the popular

Catholic devotion which is called the Rosary.

Into how many parts is the Rosary divided ?

Into three. The first contains five meditations

on the life of Jesus Christ ; namely, on the An

nunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Pre

sentation, and the Finding in the Temple. These

are called the Joyful Mysteries.

The meditations of the second part are on five

mysteries of the Passion and Death of Jesus

Christ ; namely, on the Prayer and Agony in the

Garden, the Scourging, the Crowning with Thorns,

the Carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion.

These are called the Dolours, or Sorrowful Myste

ries.

The third part contains five meditations on the

triumphs of Jesus Christ, and of his Messed

Mother ; namely, on the Resurrection, Ascension,

Descent of the Holy Ghost, the Assumption of

the Blessed Virgin into Heaven, and her Coronation

therein. These are named the Glorious Mysteries.

At each mystery, the Lord's Prayer is said

once ; the Angelical Salutation, ten times ; then

follows the Doxology, that is, the ' Glory be to the

Father,' &c, once.

34

Why is the same prayer repeated so often ?

First, through the earnest desire we feel to ob

tain the object of our petitions. Secondly, in

imitation of our Saviour, who, in the Garden of

Olives, repeated several times the same prayer ;* of

the angels, who incessantly employ the same form

of adoration, " Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God

of Hosts ;"f of the Psalmist, who so often repeats,

" Praise the Lord, for he is good : for his mercy

endureth for ever;"J and of the blind man of Jeri

cho, whose petition was not granted until he had

repeatedly exclaimed, " Jesus, Son of David, have

mercy on me."§

Why do we say the Lord's Prayer but once,

while we recite the Angelical Salutation ten times ?

Is not this praying to the Blessed Virgin ten times

as often as to God, and therefore honouring her

more than God ?

This question arises from the false supposition

that any honour or invocation of the Blessed Vir

gin is so much withdrawn from the homage due to

the Almighty. Were this the case, the objection

could be urged even though we prayed to God a

thousand times for once that we addressed his vir

gin Mother ; because then it might be said, you

honour God only a thousand times more than his

Mother, whereas you are bound to honour him

infinitely more than any creature. But when

Catholics address petitions to the saints, even to

the Blessed Virgin, they feel they are, by the very

* Mat. xxvi. 41. f Apoc. iv. 8. J Psal. cxxxv,

§ Luke xviii. 39.

35

act, addressing God through them and her ; that

they are thereby honouring the Supreme Being in

his assured friends and faithful servants ; and in

the most emphatic manner testifying the depth of

their veneration for hiin, by not daring to lift up

their eyes to him, but committing their cause to

the bright spirits who minister before his throne.

The Angelical Salutation is as much a petition to

God, though addressed through the instrumen

tality of Mary, as the Lord's Prayer is. The

reason we pray to her so often in the Rosary is,

that this form of prayer was instituted for the

especial purpose of honouring God through her ;

and impressing on the minds of the faithful the

mysteries of the Incarnation—mysteries comme

morated in the Angelical Salutation.

Why is the Angelical Salutation repeated ex

actly ten times at each of the fifteen mysteries ?

This seems to have arisen from a desire to imi

tate the number of psalms—one hundred and fifty.

Hence the Rosary has been often called the Psalter

of Mary.

Is the recital of the Rosary productive of much

spiritual benefit ?

Undoubtedly ; for, in the first place, it must be

very profitable for Christian people to reflect atten

tively on the principal mysteries of the life, death,

and resurrection of our Redeemer, and to derive

therefrom the lessons of divine love, of patience,

humility, hope, faith, fraternal charity, and many

other virtues which they inculcate. Secondly—

the frequent and earnest repetition of the two

most admirable forms of prayer cannot fail to be

36

of great advantage to the soul. Thirdly—the

Sovereign Pontiffs have granted numerous Indul

gences to those who recite the Rosary, provided

their names be previously registered amongst the

members of the Confraternity.

What do you mean by a Confraternity ?

A Confraternity is a religious association of per

sons, who, under the sanction of the Popes or

Bishops, unite to aid each other, by prayer; to en

courage each other in the practice of virtue, by

example ; to communicate to each a participation

in the merits of the good works of all ; and to per

form certain acts of piety or charity.

The peculiar pious exercises of the Confraternity

of the Rosary consist, first—in reciting the Rosary

at least once in the week : each of the three

parts may be recited on separate days ; nay, it is

held by some, that the recital of two decades on

each week day, and three on the Sunday, will suf

fice. Secondly—in going to confession and com

munion, on the first Sunday of every month, and

on the principal festivals of our Lord and of his

blessed Mother. Thirdly—in visiting, on com

munion days, the chapel of the Rosary, and assist

ing at the Mass offered for the members, and at

the procession.

What advantages are gained by entering the

Confraternity of the Rosary ?

Several. First—The Popes have granted that

pious Association numberless Indulgences, of which

we shall speak at large in the following chapter.

Secondly—The members of the Confraternity

share before God in the merit of all the good works

37

which the priests, nuns, and other persons belong

ing to the three branches of the Order of St.

Dominick, may perform. This will surely be con

sidered an immense advantage by those who take

into account the piety, the penitential exercises,

the missionary labours, the ardent zeal, and the un

conquerable love for God, of so many eminent ser

vants of Jesus Christ. Does not the heart beat

high, and the eye glisten with rapture, at the very

thought of participating in the unfading laurels of

the martyr, in the effulgent diadem of the Virgin, in

the dazzling rewards of those who have taught many

unto salvation ? What a help in the road to heaven

to gain a portion of the merits of a Dominick, a

Thomas, a Vincent Ferrer, a Peter Martyr, a Lewis

Bertrand, an Antoninus, a Pius, a Catherine, an

Agnes, a Rose, or of those glorious men who, even

at the present moment, are spreading the faith, and

encountering, unflinchingly, persecution and death

in China and Tong-King !

Thirdly—The members of the Confraternity are,

in an especial manner, under the protection of the

Virgin Mother.

Fourthly—They derive great benefit from mutual

prayer and example, and from having fixed days

appointed for approaching the sacraments.

Hence, whenever this Confraternity, or others

like it, are introduced, a wonderful improvement is

speedily observable in the morals and piety of the

people. Youth, more especially, which, from its

vivacity and love of pleasure, has a tendency to

defer in the first instance, and eventually to

neglect altogether, even the essential duties of re

:38

ligioii, finds in those societies a gentle yet effectual

restraint on its unsteadiness, and a powerful in

centive to direct its natural ardour towards the at

tainment of whatever is exalted in charity and

piety.

Fifthly—The members after death are assisted

by the suffrages of the surviving Associates. They

may be forgotten by their relatives and worldly

friends, abandoned by them to those sufferings in

purgatory, which Catholic divines, headed by St.

Augustin, St. Gregory the Great, and St. Thomas,

think far more excruciating than any torture in

this life ; while the Confraternity to which they

belong will never cease pouring forth its supplica

tions on their behalf.

Such numerous advantages ought assuredly in

duce all who value the well-being of their souls, to

enrol themselves without any loss of time in this

admirable association.

May not the Rosary be recited with great spi

ritual benefit by those who are not members of the

Confraternity ?

Certainly : but such persons do not gain the in

dulgences or share in the communication of merits,

as it is to those only whose names are inserted in

the books of the Confraternity, that the Popes grant

such privileges.

But does not a person once enrolled hi the Con

fraternity commit sin, if he neglect any of its

duties ?

No: he loses indeed the spiritual advantages

attached to the performance of those duties, but

he does not sin.

39

Why do the members of the Confraternity use

beads and scapulars ?

The beads are employed as marks to assist the

memory in reciting the Rosary ; and from this con

nexion with a form of prayer so reverential to the

Mother of God, they have been ridiculed by sec

tarians, and the shallow-minded swaggerers who

profess what are called infidel principles, while for

the same reason they have been preserved and

venerated by Catholics. In the great battle of

Lepanto, when the overwhelming power of the

Moslem received a blow, from which it never re

covered, the victorious standard of the heroic

leader, Don John of Austria, was surmounted by

the beads. The great constable of France, Mont

morency, used to recite his beads as he led his

army to the battle-field. After their triumph at

Grandson, the Swiss found in the tent of Charles

of Burgundy his beads, to which were attached

figures of the apostles in massive gold. In fact

for centuries the beads were in the hands of every

Catholic, from the monarch to the serf.

The scapular, consisting of two small pieces of

stuff, one of which rests on the breast and the

other on the back, joined together by ribbon or

tape passing over the shoulders, is used as a re

ligious habit in miniature, and as a badge of the

Confraternity, reminding the wearer that he is

especially devoted to the Mother of God. Like

the beads, it has been sneered at by the very per

sons who regard a blue or a red ribbon as a mark

of most honourable distinction. Yet if the badge

of the Garter or of the Bath be highly prized,

40

why should the hadge of the Rosary be derided as

supremely ridiculous ? Both are in themselves

mere pieces of worthless stuff, but both are sym

bols and memorials of a fellowship with the great

or good. Besides, whatever the scapular may be

in the eyes of others, experience proves that it is

often of incalculable service to the wearer ; that

it has prevented the perpetration of many a crime ;

and that in several instances the unhappy sinner

bent on gratifying his evil desires, had to fling

aside this badge before he could find heart to

offend his God : such was the force of its silent

admonition.

What is the perpetual Rosary ?

A pious practice by which the Rosary is recited

uninterruptedly throughout the year ; one member

succeeding another in the performance of this de

votion on the day and hour chosen by himself, and

inserted in the book kept for this purpose by the

director of the Confraternity.

For what purpose was the perpetual Rosary in

stituted ?

To honour God and his Virgin Mother every

day, and hour, and moment of the year ; as they

are unceasingly honoured by the angels and saints

in heaven.

What obligation does a person contract by enter

ing into the perpetual Rosary ?

That of reciting the whole of the Rosary at the

hour of the day appointed by himself, and inserted

in the book before mentioned. It is usual to

select a person's birth day, or the feast day of his

patron saint ; but having once made the selection,

41

and communicated it to the director, he cannot

change it, without giving due notice. To gain the

plenary indulgence attached to the perpetual Ro

sary, the sacraments must be worthily approached

on the day appointed for reciting this form of de

votion.

Are there any other pious practices attached to

the Rosary ?

Yes, particularly that which is termed the

Fifteen Saturdays of the Rosary. It consists in

receiving the holy communion on fifteen successive

Saturdays, in honour of the fifteen mysteries of the

Rosary, to obtain some favour from God, through

the intercession of the Blessed Virgin.

To obtain the Indulgences granted to this devo

tion, it is necessary,—First, to communicate in a

church where the Confraternity of the Rosary is

established. Secondly, to recite the whole of the

Rosary on each of these Saturdays ; meditating for

some time on the mystery in honour of which the

communion is received that day. Thirdly, it is

advisable to devote that day to exercises of piety—

to the works of mercy, spiritual or corporal—to

fast, or practise some other kind of mortification—

to have Mass celebrated, &c.

What benefits are derived .from this devotion ?

First, a plenary indulgence granted by the Popes

to those who perform it. Secondly, experience

has proved that it is very efficacious in obtaining

from God the favours which are asked. Many

members of the Confraternity, by resorting to this

excellent devotion, have received grace to overcome

some troublesome temptation, to acquire some

D

42

difficult virtue, to enter on a course of penance,

to persevere in the service of God. Others have

obtained in it even temporal blessings, the sudden

cure of some ailment, or success in some important

affair. It is, therefore, of great advantage to have

recourse to it in any temporal or spiritual neces

sity.

In concluding this chapter, it may be proper to

observe, that, within the Confraternity, many of the

members form several sub-associations, united for

various purposes of piety; such as teaching the

Christian doctrine, watching over the due obser

vance of order and propriety of behaviour in the

church, providing ornaments for the holy Sacri

fice, visiting the sick, particularly the members of

the Confraternity, and rendering an account to each

other, and to the Reverend Prior, of the faithful

discharge of the duties they have undertaken.

43

CHAPTER III.

" Whatsoeveb you shall loose upon earth, shall be

LOOSED ALSO IN HEAVEN."—-Matt. XVIII.

As the Catholic doctrine regarding Indulgences

is often and grossly misrepresented by those

who assail it without inquiring into its nature, or

are predetermined to misunderstand it, we deem it

right to state what it really is, before enumerating

the various Indulgences which the Popes and Ge

neral Councils have bestowed on the Confraternity

of the Rosary. For Catholics this explanation is

unnecessary, but it may serve to disabuse some err

ing brethren, who form their ideas of our Church

from the frightful picture which designing men

have presented as its real portrait. Taught that in

our belief an Indulgence is a license to commit sin,

it is scarcely a wonder that those misguided people

should execrate the religion which upholds, as they

imagine, so monstrous a doctrine. What must they

think of those who have deceived them, when they

learn that Catholics believe with all the unswerving

firmness of their faith, that no power in heaven or

on earth can give permission to commit sin—that

44

it would be a shocking blasphemy to assert, that

even God himself can grant it ? Will not their

better feelings revolt against the calumniators,whose

vituperations they so long implicitly believed, when

they discover, that far from regarding an Indulgence

as a permission to commit sin, we hold that it is not

even a pardon for past sin, that of itself it cannot

efface the most venial offence, the slightest blemish ?

Had they consulted our doctrinal books to ascer

tain the nature of our belief, they would have learn

ed, that we consider an Indulgence as the remission

of the whole or of a portion of the temporal punish

ment due to sin after its guilt is forgiven. Now

it is not very seemly in those who maintain that no

temporal punishment is due to sin, and no satisfac

tion necessary on the part of the sinner, and who

thereby give the most plenary of all indulgences, to

accuse the Catholic Church of affording facilities

for the commission of crime, when, hi consideration

of certain stipulated works of piety, it offers, in vir

tue of the authority entrusted to it by its Founder,

to remit wholly or partially that punishment which

in the opinion of Protestants has no existence what

ever.

To show still more clearly how shamelessly false

it is to assert, that our Church gives encouragement

to vice, we need only place in juxtaposition the

conditions which Protestants and those which Ca

tholics require before a sinner can have a well-

grounded confidence that his sins are forgiven.—

Both acknowledge, that through the merits of Christ

the greatest criminal may obtain pardon. But for

this

45

Protestants require

Faith, and assert that

faith alone is sufficient

Catholics require

Faith,

Fear of God,

Hope,

Love of God,

Detestation of Sin,

Firm purpose of amend

ment,

A diligent examination

of conscience,

An humble confession of

sins,

Absolution ;

And it is only now,

when the guilt of sin is,

aswe trust, forgiven, that

Indulgences enter, to sa

tisfy in whole or in part

for the punishment still

due.

Is it not manifest from this statement, that the

Catholic Church, instead of offering pardon too rea

dily to the criminal, and thereby encouraging a re

petition of his iniquities, interposes far greater dif

ficulties in the way of forgiveness, and demands

more onerous conditions for the reconciliation of the

penitent, than Protestants deem necessary, and that

Indulgences are of avail only when sin is already

forgiven, and therefore cannot by any possibility

contribute to the prevalence of crime ?

Indulgences are of two kinds ; plenary and par

tial. A plenary Indulgence is the remission of all

46

the temporal punishment due to sin. Partial is the

remission of only some portion of that punishment :

for instance, the Indulgence called a quarantine, or

of forty days, remits so much of the temporal pu

nishment due to sin, as would have been remitted

by the performance of forty days of the penance

enjoined by the ancient penitential canons.

To gain a plenary Indulgence a person must be

not only in a state of grace, free from the guilt ofmor

tal sin, but sincerely detached from every affection to

venial sin. Hence those who are not animated with

an ardent love for God, a zeal for his honour, and

an anxious desire to promote the welfare, both spi

ritual and temporal, of their fellow-creatures ; who

do not abhor all kinds of sin however trivial in ap

pearance ; who are not fully determined to atone by

the deeds of penance to the utmost extent of their

power for their past transgressions, and to work out

their salvation atevery sacrifice, must notimagine that

they have gained a plenary Indulgence even when

they have received the sacraments and complied

with all the other duties prescribed.

Having now explained the nature of Indulgences,

we shall proceed to enumerate the most important

of those which belong to the Rosary.

Plenary Indulgences granted to the Confraternity

of the Rosary.*

I. A plenary Indulgence on the day of reception

for those who, having confessed with sentiments of

* As was before remarked, all those are members of the

Confraternity of the Rosary whose names are inserted in

its books.

47

unfeigned sorrow, receive the Blessed Eucharist,

visit any Church or Chapel of the Confraternity,

and pray for the exaltation of our holy mother the

Church, reciting at least a third part of the Rosary.

II. A plenary Indulgence on the first Sunday of

every month.

III. A plenary Indulgence upon all the Feasts

on which the Church celebrates any of the myste

ries of the holy Rosary ; namely, on Christmas day,

Easter day, the Ascension, Whitsunday, and upon

the principal feasts of the Blessed Virgin, viz., the

Annunciation, Visitation, Assumption, Nativity,

Presentation, and Conception.

IV. A plenary Indulgence to those who recite the

whole Rosary.

V. A plenary Indulgence to those who visit the

Altar of the Rosary, or assist at the Procession on

the first Sunday of the month, or on the seven prin

cipal feasts of the B. Virgin mentioned above.

VI. A plenary Indulgence to those who hear the

Mass of the Rosary, or say it, or cause it to be said.

VII. A plenary Indulgence on the principal Feast

of the Rosary, namely, the first Sunday of October,

or any day during the Octave, and on the third

Sunday of April.

On the four Sundays and three Ember days of

Advent.

On Christmas eve and the four succeeding days,

on New-Year's day, and the Epiphany.

Every day from Septuagesima until Low Sunday.

On St. Mark's day, 25th April.

On the three Rogation days.

On the Eve of Whitsunday, and every day dur

ing the subsequent week.

48

On the Ember days of September.

On the following Feasts of the Dominican Or

der :—

St. Raymund, the 23d of January,

St. Catherine of Ricci, the 13th of February.

St. Thomas of Aquin, the 7th of March.

St. Vincent Ferrer, the 5th of April.

St. Agnes, the 20th of April.

St. Peter Martyr, the 29th of April.

St Catherine of Sienna, the 30th of April.

St. Pius the Fifth, the 5th of May.

St. Antoninus, the 10th of May.

St. Dominick, the 4th of August.

St. Hyacinth, the 16th of August.

St. Rose, the 30th of August.

St. Lewis Bertrand, the 10th of October.

On the Feast of all the Saints of the Dominican

Order, the 9th of November.

Also, on the four Anniversaries for the deceased

Parents, Friends, Benefactors, Brothers and Sisters

of the Order, on or about the following days :—the

4th of February, the 12th of July, the 5th of Sep

tember, and the 4th of November.

VIII. All the Indulgences of the Stations at

Rome are granted to the members of the Rosary by

visiting five altars, or one only if there be no more,

and reciting before each altar five Paters and five

Aves, or twenty-five before that one altar.

IX. Any member of the Rosary has the privi

lege, once in his life, and at the hour of his death,

to make use of any approved Confessor, who is em

powered to confer on him a Plenary Indulgence.

X. In the hour, agony, and article of death, hav

49

ing confessed and received the holy Viaticum, the

members gain a plenary Indulgence.

As also by saying with mouth or in heart, Jesus,

Mary ; or by calling thrice either by mouth or in

heart upon the holy name of Jesus ; or by holding

a blessed candle of the Confraternity in their hand,

in honour of the B. Virgin at the time of their de

parture from life.

But to gain this Indulgence, the third part of the

Rosary must have been once at least recited in the

Chapel of the Rosary, or in some place from which

a sight of the Rosary Altar can be obtained, if this

could have been conveniently done.

The members of the Rosary who by reason of

sickness, travelling, imprisonment, persecution, ser

vice, distance, danger, or any lawful impediment,

cannot visit the Altar of the Rosary or be present at

the Procession, may nevertheless gain all the Indul

gences as if they were present—

1. By confessing and communicating.

2. By saying the Rosary.

3. By saying the seven Penitential Psalms before

some altar or devout picture.

All the Indulgences granted to the living may be

applied to the dead, by communicating, saying the

Mass of the Rosary, or reciting the Rosary for

them.

In addition to these plenary, there are numerous

partial Indulgences granted to the members of the

Confraternity for various works of piety ; such as a

relaxation of sixty days' penance so often as they

shall give alms to poor strangers, or harbour them,

or reconcile enemies, or console the sick, or accom

d 5

50

pany a funeral, or contribute to the reform of any

sinner, or teach the ignorant, or perform any other

charitable deed.*

* Those Indulgences are to be found in the Bolls of va

rious Popes, but particularly in that of Innocent XI, dated

31st of July, 1679, and commencing with the words, Nuper

pro parte. In this the Pope inserts a summary of all the

Indulgences granted by his Predecessors to the members

of the Confraternity of the Rosary, and by his Apostolical

authority confirms and extends them.

fil

CHAPTER IV.

" T WILL MEDITATE ON THY COMMANDMENTS AND I WILL

CONSIDER THY WAYS."—Ps. CXviii.

Are the important Indulgences just enumerated,

gained merely by reciting the Rosary in a state of

grace P

No ; the Rosary is a form notonly of vocal, but also

of mental prayer, and the Popes have expressly de

clared, that it is necessary to meditate on the mys

teries in order to obtain the Indulgences. The

simple and ignorant alone can gain them by merely

saying the prayers; but the same holy Pontiff, who

made this concession in their favour, required that

they should be instructed in the method of medita

tion as speedily as possible.

Is not meditation suited rather to monks and

nuns than to persons engaged in worldly occupa

tions ?

This is a prevalent but most erroneous opinion.

Every Christian is bound to reflect from time to

time on the great truths of religion, on the amaz

ing proofs of God's love towards man, on the short

ness of the present life, and the consequent frivolity

of worldly pursuits when entered on without a sin

cere purpose of rendering them subservient to the

all-important business of salvation ; on the terrible

52

judgment, on the excruciating agony of hell, on the

rapturous bliss of heaven, and on the means of at

taining those virtues which shall be rewarded by more

happiness than imagination has ever yet conceived.

The frequent consideration of these truths is neces

sary to guard the heart from being ensnared by the

blandishments of vice. And as those who are oc

cupied in secular concerns encounter a greater num

ber of temptations than persons sheltered in a clois

ter, it may be said in a certain sense that the laity

stand even more than monks and nuns in want of

meditation.

But will not the generality of persons find it im

possible to meditate ?

By no means, provided they sincerely and reso

lutely try. For what is meditation ? The mere

dwelling in thought on our future destiny, and mat

ters connected with it, or on the goodness of the

best offriends, until the mind pours forth its affec

tions in devout aspirations, and forms practical re

solutions for its future conduct. What difficulty

does this present ? Every one can readily think on

the pursuits or pleasures of this world ; why not on

those of the next ? It might be supposed that even

were there no obligation to perform this duty, the

heart would instinctively turn from the treachery

and malignity of man, and from the harassing cares

and afflictions of life, to find consolation and repose in

a consideration of the unmerited love of its Creator

and Saviour, and of those dazzling glories which are

one day to be poured around it.

What method should be followed in order to

meditate with advantage ?

53

Meditation consists of three parts : the prepara

tion, the consideration itself, and the conclusion.

In the preparation we should in the most lively

manner recollect that God is present, and that we

are about to converse with him ; we must adore him

with profound respect, and acknowledge that we are

vile sinners, unworthy to appear in his presence.

Secondly, we must beg grace to go through the

meditation in a proper manner ; and the better to

obtain this favour, we must excite ourselves to con

fidence in God, diffidence in ourselves, and sorrow

for our transgressions.

Thirdly, we must distinctly bring before the

mind the subject on which we intend to meditate,

resolve to turn from every distracting thought, andim

plore the prayers of the Mother of God, of our guar

dian Angel, and of the other inhabitants of heaven.

In the meditation itself we must first reflect well

on the subject, considering it in every point of view,

and then excite pious affections, speaking mentally

or orally to God, to Jesus Christ, to the Blessed

Virgin or any other Saint, or breathing forth burn

ing aspirations of love, of grief, of longing for the

happy moment when we shall be inseparably united

with our God.

Lastly, we must form certain fixed resolutions for

the time to come ; and these must not only be

vague and general, such as to serve God, to avoid

sin, to love our neighbour; but enter into the details

of life, as for instance, to correct a certain fault to

which we find ourselves habituated, to perform a cer

tain act of kindness, to approach the sacraments on

a certain day, &c.

54

Will you illustrate these instructions by an ex

ample P

Suppose the subject of meditation is the passion

of Christ. We may first consider who it is that

suffers. The Creator of heaven and earth. What

does he suffer ? The most painful and humiliating

torments. The lash, the crown of thorns, the

felon-blow, his life crushed out drop by drop. For

whom does he suffer ? For his very murderers, for

ungrateful sinners, for us who love him so little,

who love every trifle in preference to him. How

does he suffer ? With patience, meekness, charity,

obedience. From whom does he suffer ? From

his own creatures, on whom he lavishes the most ex

traordinary favours. Why does he suffer ? To pro

cure glory for God and eternal happiness for man.

We then excite our hearts to sentiments of love

for Jesus Christ, of desire to share in his afflictions,

of detestation of sin, which was the cause of his suf

ferings. We may, as we clasp in spirit his cross,

and feel as it were his blood flowing down on our

sinful souls, acknowledge in an agony of grief that

we have been the vilest of wretches ; that we have

repaid his amazing love with the basest ingratitude ;

that we are unworthy of pardon, and that we could

expect nought but perdition were it not for that cross

which awakens all our confidence, and at the foot of

which we pledge ourselves to fidelity in his service

during the remainder of our lives.

Lastly, we are to form resolutions of a more par

ticular and determined kind.— 1. To imitate the

virtues which Jesus Christ exhibited in his passion,

namely, patience, meekness, humility.—2. To

65

reflect often on what Jesus Christ suffered for us.—

3. To have recourse to him in every affliction,

and to strengthen ourselves by his example to bear

it patiently.—And lastly, to take Jesus Christ in his

sufferings as the model on which we should endea

vour to form our lives.

To each mystery of the Rosary we shall annex

some reflections, which may assist beginners in me

ditating on it.

How are we to conclude our meditation ?

First, by returning thanks to God for the good

thoughts and reflections which he inspired. Se

condly, by asking pardon for any distractions that

may have occurred. Thirdly, by humbly beg

ging, that he would enable us to profit of the medi

tation, by putting our resolutions into practice.

Fourthly, by considering whether we have gone

through our meditation in a proper manner. And

lastly, by selecting the thought that most affected us,

that we may recur to it oftentimes in the course of

the day.

^

57

PRAYERS

PREPARATORY TO THE ROSARY.

A Prayer before the Acts.

O Almighty and eternal God ! grant

unto us an increase of Faith, Hope,

and Charity ; and that we may obtain

what thou hast promised, make us love

and practise what thou commandest,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

An Act of Contrition.

O my God ! I am heartily sorry that

I have offended thee ; and I detest my

sins most sincerely, because they dis

please thee, my God, who art so deserv

ing of all my love, for thy infinite good

ness and most amiable perfections ; and

I firmly purpose, by thy holy grace, ne

ver more to offend thee, and to amend

my life.

An Act of Faith.

O my God ! I firmly believe that thou

art one only God, in three Divine

58

Persons, really distinct, and equal in all

things, the Father, and the Son, and

the Holy Ghost. I firmly believe that

Jesus Christ, God the Son, became

Man ; that he was conceived by the

Holy Ghost, and was born of the Virgin

Mary; that he suffered and died on a

cross to redeem and save us ; that he

arose the third day from the dead ; that

he ascended into Heaven ; that he will

come at the end of the world to judge

mankind ; and that he will reward the

good with eternal happiness, and con

demn the wicked to the everlasting pains

of Hell. I believe these and all other

articles which the holy Roman Catholic

Church proposes to our belief, because

thou, my God, the Infallible Truth, hast

revealed them ; and thou hast com

manded us to hear the Church, (Matt,

xviii. IT,) which is the pillar and the

ground of truth, (1 Tim. iii. 15.) In

this Faith I am firmly resolved, by thy

holy grace, to live and die.

59

An Act of Hope.

O my God! who hast graciously pro

mised every blessing, even heaven itself,

through Jesus Christ, to those who keep

thy commandments ; relying on thy in

finite power, goodness, and mercy, and

confiding in thy sacred promises, to

which thou art always faithful ; I confi

dently hope to obtain pardon of all my

sins, grace to serve thee faithfully in

this life, by doing the good works thou

hast commanded, and which, with thy

assistance, I will perform ; and eternal

happiness in the next ; through my Lord

and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

An Act of Charity.

O my God ! I love thee with my

whole heart and soul, and above all

things, because thou art infinitely good

and perfect, and most worthy of all my

love ; and for thy sake, I love my neigh

bour as myself. Mercifully grant, O my

God ! that having loved thee on earth, I

may love and enjoy thee for ever in

heaven.

60

THE ROSARY

OF THE

Blrsert SCanit of Sfcsus.

*

In the name of the Father, and ofthe Son,

and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Thou, O Lord, wilt open my heart.

And my tongue shall announce thy

praise.

Incline unto my aid, O God.

O Lord, hasten to help me.

Glory be to the Father, and to the

Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now,

and will be for ever. Amen.

THE FIVE MYSTERIES OF THE

FIRST PART.

I. The Incarnation of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Meditation.—The Son of God

til

assumes human flesh out of the pure

blood of the blessed Mary, ever Virgin,

and is made man in her womb.

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on

us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

II. The Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The Meditation.— The Saviour of

the world is born for our redemption,

his mother remaining a Virgin.

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on

us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

III. The Circumcision of our Lord

Jesus Christ.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour be

ing eight days old, begins to suffer for

our sins, and his blood already flows for

us. He is circumcised according to the

law, as if he had been himself a sinner.

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on

us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

62

IV. Our Lord Jesus Christfound in the

Temple.

TheMeditation.—OurSaviourbeing

twelve years old, shows himself more

than mortal by his knowledge and wis

dom, teaching the teachers of the Jews.

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on

us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

V. The Baptism of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Meditation.—The Saviour of

the world is baptized by St. John : the

eternal Father declares him to be his

Son.

O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on

us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

The Prayer.

O JESUS, whose name is above all

names, that at the name of Jesus every

knee may bend, of those that are in

heaven, on earth, or in hell ; who, at

the time appointed by the Eternal Wis

63

dom, assumed flesh in the womb of

the blessed Mary ever Virgin, and thus

became the Son of David ; whose

birth gladdened men and angels ; who

began so early to suffer for us, and to

shed on our account that blood that

washeth away the sins of the world ;

whose immortal wisdom appeared at

the age of twelve years ; to whose

baptism all heaven was attentive ; grant

us to celebrate those mysteries to thy

honour and our own salvation : who,

with the Father and the Holy Ghost,

livest and reignest, one God, for all

eternity. Amen.

THE FIVE MYSTERIES OF THE

SECOND PART.

I. Our Saviour washeth his Disciples'

Feet.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour, to

show us an example of humility, and

how much we ought to serve each other,

descendeth so low as to wash the feet

of his disciples, though he is the God

whom heaven and earth adore.

64

O Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews, have mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

II. The Prayer ofour Lord Jesus Christ

in the Garden.

TheMeditation.—OurSaviourknow

ing his passion to be now at hand, is so

affected with the thoughts of it, and so

oppressed with the load of our sins, that

he prays to his almighty Father, that

the bitter cup may pass away from

him.

O Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews, have mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

III. Our Saviour is apprehended.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour, as if

he had been no more than man, yields

to the power of men, and permits him

self for our redemption to be apprehend

ed, as if he were a malefactor.

O Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews, have mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

65

IV. Our Saviour carries his Cross.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour be

ing torn with scourges and pierced with

thorns to expiate our sins, is obliged to

carry the Cross on which he is to die,

and moves on, labouring with sorrow,

towards the place of execution.

O Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews, have mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

V. The Descent ofour Saviour into Hell.

The Meditation.—The soul of our

Saviour being separated by death from

the body, descends to that place where

the Saints were expecting their redemp

tion.

0 Jesus of Nazareth, King of the

Jews, have mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

The Prayer.

O JESUS, whose name is above all

names, that at the name of Jesus every

knee may bend, of those that are in

heaven, on earth, or in hell ; whose mys

66

terious humiliation and sorrows, ap

pointed for thee on account of our sins,

appeared in the washing of the feet of

thy servants and creatures ; in thy dis

tress, and prayer, and bloody sweat ; in

thy being secured and brought before

courts as a criminal ; in thy bearing the

load of the cross ; and in the separation

of thy soul from thy body, and its de

scent into the regions below ; grant us

to celebrate those mysteries to thy ho

nour and our own salvation : who, with

the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest

and reignest one God for all eternity.

Amen.

THE FIVE MYSTERIES OF THE

THIRD PART.

I. The Resurrection of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Meditation.—The soul of our

Lord Jesus Christ, which had been se

parated from the body, is reunited to it

by a miracle of the almighty power, and

that body which had been dead, rises, to

die no more.

67

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have

mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

II. The Ascension of our Lord Jesus

Christ.

The Meditation.—The body of our

Lord Jesus Christ ascends into the high

est heaven, where the Saviour of man

kind sits at the right hand of God, the

almighty Father.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have

mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

III. Our Lord Jesus Christ sends down

the Holy Ghost.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour, now

seated on the right hand of God, his al

mighty Father, sends down the Holy

Ghost, to inspire and animate his disci

ples, that they may be qualified to pub

lish to mankind his cross and his glory.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have

mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

68

IV. Our Lord Jesus Christ crowning the

Blessed Virgin and Saints.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour hav

ing by his passion, resurrection, and as

cension, opened the way for the sons

of Adam to heaven, which they had

lost by sin, bestows on his Mother and

his Saints a crown of immortal glory.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have

mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

V. Our Lord Jesus Christ coming to

judge Mankind.

The Meditation.—Our Saviour will

come in power and majesty, to judge the

living and the dead, and to return to

every one according to his works.

O Jesus, Son of the living God, have

mercy on us. Ten times.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

The Prayer.

O JESUS, whose name is above all

names, that at the name of Jesus every

69

knee shall bend, of those that are in

heaven, on earth, or in hell; whose body,

that was murdered by mankind, the Al

mighty raised from death, glorious and

immortal; who by thy ascension tri

umphed over death, and led capti

vity captive ; who according to thy pro

mise sent down the Spirit that proceed-

eth from the Father and thee, the com

forter and enlivener ; who stretchingforth

the bounty of thy almighty hand, shed

upon the chosen children of Adam, that

glory that neither eye hath seen, ear

hath heard, nor hath it entered into the

heart of man; and who will come forth

in power and majesty, to judge the liv

ing and the dead, before whose throne

all mortals will appear ; grant to us to

celebrate these mysteries to thy honour

and our own salvation : who, with the

Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and

reignest one God for all eternity.

Amen.

F, 3

71)

THE LITANY

Wfyt $olj? Name of Sfrsms.

Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have

mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.

Christ, hear lis. Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,

God the Son, Redeemer of the

World,

God the Holy Ghost,

Holy Trinity one God,

Jesus, Son of the living God,

Jesus, Splendour of the Father,

Jesus, Brightness of Eternal

Light,

Jesus, King of Glory,

Jesus, Sun of Justice,

Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary,

Jesus, most amiable,

Jesus, most adorable,

Jesus, the mighty God,

Jesus, Father of theworld to come,

Jesus, Angel of the great Counsel,

Jesus, most powerful,

Jesus, most patient,

8

71

Jesus, most obedient,

Jesus, meek and humble of heart,

Jesus, Lover of Chastity,

Jesus, Lover of Peace,

Jesus, Lover of us,

Jesus, Author of Life,

Jesus, Example of Virtues,

Jesus, zealous Lover of Souls,

Jesus, our God,

Jesus, our Refuge,

Jesus, Father of the Poor,

Jesus, Treasure of the Faithful,

Jesus, good Shepherd,

Jesus, true Light,

Jesus, eternal Wisdom,

Jesus, infinite Goodness,

Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and

the Life,

Jesus, Joy of Angels,

Jesus, King of Patriarchs,

Jesus, Inspirer of the Prophets,

Jesus, Master of the Apostles,

Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists,

Jesus, Strength of Martyrs,

Jesus, Light of Confessors,

Jesus, Spouse of Virgins,

Jesus, Crown of all Saints,

1

3

72

Be merciful unto us, Spare us, O Lord

Jesus!

Be merciful unto us, Hear us, O Lord

Jesus !

From all sin,

From thy wrath,

From the snares of the Devil,

From the spirit of uncleanness,

From everlasting death,

From the neglect of thy holy in

spirations,

Thro' the mystery of thy holy in

carnation,

Thro' thy nativity,

Thro' thy divine infancy,

Thro' thy sacred life,

Thro' thy labours,

Thro' thy cross and passion,

Thro' thy pains and torments,

Thro' thy death and burial,

Thro' thy glorious resurrection,

Thro' thy triumphant ascension.

Thro' thy joys and glory,

In the day of judgment,

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord

Jesus !

i

r

sCo

73

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world ; Have mercy on us, O

Lord Jesus !

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world ; Hear us, O Lord

Jesus !

Christ Jesus, hear us ; Christ Jesus,

graciously hear us.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who hast said,

Ash, and ye shall receive; seek, and

ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be

opened unto you ; mercifully attend to

our supplications, and grant us the gift

of divine charity, that we may ever love

thee with our whole hearts, and never

cease from praising thy holy name ;

who livest and reignest one God, world

without end. Amen.

O divine Redeemer, give us a perpe

tual fear and love of thy holy name ; for

thou never ceasest to direct and govern

by thy grace those whom thou instruct-

est in the solidity of thy love ; who

livest and reignest, world without end.

Amen.

74

O God, who hast appointed thy only-

begotten Son the Saviour of mankind,

and hast commanded that he should be

called Jesus ; mercifully grant, that we

may enjoy his happy vision in heaven,

whose holy name we venerate upon

earth : who, with thee and the Holy

Ghost, liveth and reigneth, world with

out end. Amen.

THE ROSARY

Wiyt SSlessrtJ YfkQin.

*

In the name of the Father, and of the

Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

V. Thou, O Lord, wilt open my lips.

-R. And my tongue shall announce

thy praise.

V. Incline unto my aid, O God.

22. O Lord, make haste to help me.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the

Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

R. As it was in the beginning, is now,

and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

[From Septuagesima to Easter, Praise

be to thee, O Lord, is said instead of

Alleluia.]

76

If the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Cha

rity, have not been recited, say,

I believe in God, the Father Al

mighty, &c.

Our Father, &c, once.

Hail Mary, &c, three times.

THE JOYFUL MYSTERIES *

THE FIRST MYSTERY.

The Annunciation.—Virtue, Humility.

THE MEDITATION.

\ Let us consider in this Mystery how

the Angel, Gabriel, was sent from hea

ven to declare to the Blessed Virgin the

choice which God had made of her, to

* The Five Joyful Mysteries to be said on all Mondays

and Thursdays, the Sundays of Advent and after Epi

phany until Lent.

77

be the Mother of the eternal Word ;

how Mary receives this announcement

with the most profound humility, and

the Son of God becomes man in her

womb.

Our Father, once. Hail Mary, ten

times. Glory be to the Father, once.

The Prayer.

I acknowledge thee, O Holy Virgin,

to be truly the Mother of God ; I hail

thee, full of grace ; I repeat with joy the

praises first given thee by the Angel,

and continued after him by the entire

Church. In becoming Mother to the

incarnate Word, thou likewise becomest

a Mother to all the faithful. O mayest

thou especially be a Mother to me.

Amen.

78

Subjectsfor Meditation in this Mystery.

First—God, through love of us, humbles himself

to our nothingness : adore this deep and incompre

hensible proof of love.

Second—Consider the Archangel announcing

to Mary her elevation to the highest dignity to which

a mere creature could ascend, and reflect on her

humble answer : " Behold the handmaid [that

is, the slave] of the Lord ; be it done unto me

according to thy word."—Luke i. 38. Here we

clearly see that the exalted rank to which she was

raised, inspired her with no sentiments but those of

profound humility, conformity to the will of God,

and solicitude for the salvation of man.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To esteem and desire the virtue of hu

mility.

Second—Propose to bear patiently every insult.

Third—Acknowledge sincerely that you are a

useless servant, the last of all.

79

THE SECOND MYSTERY.

The Visitation.—Virtue, Charity.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

the Blessed Virgin went with haste to

visit her cousin, St. Elizabeth, into the

mountains of Judea, where, at her arri

val, St. John the Baptist, yet unborn,

exults in the presence of his Redeemer,

and is sanctified in his mother's womb.

The Prayer.

O Holy Virgin, who in this Mystery

didst most eminently display the hu

mility and charity that were within

thee, obtain for us of God that our souls

may be frequently visited by thy Son,

and feel some of those impressions which

his presence once made on his blessed

precursor. Amen.

80

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider the blessings which Jesus Christ

brings to the house of St. Elizabeth : St. John is

sanctified ; his Mother is filled with the Holy Ghost.

Second—Reflect on the profound respect shown

to the Blessed Virgin by her holy cousin. Join St.

Elizabeth in declaring her to be blessed amongst

women ; and try to feel some portion of that holy

rapture which caused Mary to burst forth into the

sublime canticle, the Magnificat, in which she

gives to God all the glory of her amazing eleva

tion.

Third—Consider the charity which the Blessed

Virgin exhibits in this Mystery. Shehastensthrough

rugged mountains, leaving her beloved retirement,

to render every kind service towards one above whom

she was so highly exalted.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To be always pleased when there is an

opportunity of serving another.

Second—Never to insult or wound the feelings

of any individual.

Third—To keep constantly in view the divine

truth, that whatever we do to the lowest of our bre

thren, either for good or evil, we do unto Christ

himself. " Amen I say unto you, as often as you

did it to these, my least brethren, you did it unto

me."—Matt. xxv.

81

THE THIRD MYSTERY.

The Nativity of our Saviour.— Virtue, Pov

erty in SPIRIT.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

the Redeemer of the world was born in

a stable, and laid in a manger, because

there was no room for him in the inns

at Bethlehem. Let us rejoice in the

advantages of this humiliation and pov

erty, and endeavour to practise the les

sons he here gives us.

The Prayer.

O Virgin Mother of God, we rejoice

with our whole hearts in the birth of

thy adorable Son, our divine Redeemer.

Beg of him, we beseech thee, that he

would now graciously vouchsafe to be

spiritually born in us, enabling us by

his grace to imitate the virtues of his

childhood, simplicity, innocence, docili

ty, and his contempt for the vain pomp

and perishable riches of this world.

Amen.

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider how the King of kings enters

into the world : his palace a stable ; his attendants

a few lowly shepherds : in the most inclement sea

son of the year he cannot procure even the wretch

ed shelter of a village inn. Adore him in the ex

treme poverty wherein he first appears wrapped in

swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

Second—Consider the ecstacy and love with

which Mary regards her new-born Son ; and at the

same time her resignation to the will of God, under

the sufferings from poverty and cold which he and

she endure. Then ask yourselves whether you will

henceforward murmur when your heavenly Father,

through a regard to your everlasting welfare, de

prives you of any of the goods of this short and

miserable life.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To conceive a great esteem for holy pov

erty : " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs

is the Kingdom of Heaven."—Matt. v.

Second—To retrench every superfluity, particu

larly in dress.

Third—To share your means with the poor suf

fering members of Christ.

•Si

THE FOURTH MYSTERY.

The Presentation of the Child Jesus in

the Temple.*—Virtue, Obedience to the

Law.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

our Lord Jesus Christ was presented as

an offering to his eternal Father in the

Templei, by the hands of his Virgin

Mother ; and how holy Simeon, giving

thanks to God, received him with great

devotion into his arms.

The Prayer.

O Mother of the Saviour and Light of

the world, by that love wherewith thou

offeredst thy Son to the eternal Father,

for all mankind, and consecratedst

thyself to his service, offer me also to

his divine Majesty, that I may always

abide in his house, and never depart

from his will ; and that during the

whole time of my banishment, I may

never cease to burn with his love. Amen.

* In some popular prayer books, the Adoration of the

Wise Men is substituted for the Presentation in the Temple ;

but there is reason to fear that the Indulgences are not

HI

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Jesus Christ solemnly offers himself to

his Father. Let us offer to God, without any re

serve, our hearts, our minds, our bodies, all that we

possess, all that we hold most dear.

Second—The Blessed Virgin was exempt from

the obligation of undergoing the humiliating rite of

purification, and yet she submits to it, and thereby

leaves us an example of faithfully obeying the pre

cepts of religion, however repugnant to our pride or

self-love.

Third—Meditate on the resignation and confor

mity to the will of God, with which the Blessed

Virgin hears from the aged prophet, Simeon, that

a sword of grief was to pierce her heart.

Practical Resolutions.

First—Never to seek pretexts to excuse our

selves from fulfilling the commandments of God and

his Church.

Second—Never to defer performing the duties

of religion at the times appointed by the Church, or

our spiritual Superior.

gained when the Mysteries, to a meditation on which the

Popes have attached them, are omitted to substitute

others.

85

THE FIFTH MYSTERY.

The Finding of the Child Jesus amongst

the Doctors.—Virtue, Desire of being

united with God.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery the

joy which the Blessed Virgin must have

felt, when after having lost, without any

fault of hers, the child Jesus in Jeru

salem, and having sought him in much

affliction during three days, she found

him at length in the Temple, amidst the

doctors, hearing them and asking them

questions.

The Prayer.

O most tender Mother of God, com

fort of the afflicted, we earnestly beseech

thee, by thy extreme delight on finding

the child Jesus in the Temple, after the

anguish of having lost him, to obtain

for us the grace never to lose him by

consenting to mortal sin ; nor to enjoy

either pleasure or rest while we oblige

him, by our transgressions, to withdraw

from us. Amen.

86

Subjects fur Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider the sorrow of the Blessed

Virgin on losing her beloved Son, and feel that

there is no calamity so great as to lose Jesus Christ.

Second—The Mother of God finds her Son in

the Temple, and it is in the Christian temples,

through the sacraments there administered, that we

must hope to be re-united to Christ whenever we

have the misfortune to lose him.

Third—The Evangelist relates, that our Re

deemer returned with his parents from Jerusalem to

Nazareth, " and was subject to them"—Luke ii. ;

the Creator to the creature ; the Sovereign Lord

to his servants ; God to man ! Let all—youth par

ticularly—learn from this divine Model, lessons of

docility, humility, and ready obedience, and let

them, who are but worms of the earth, blush to be

proud and self-willed, when their Maker, for thirty

years of his life, gave such an example of submis

sion.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To love to be united as often as possible

with God in prayer.

Second—If mortal sin has caused God to for

sake us, to hasten without a moment's delay to re

gain his friendship in the sacrament of penance.

Third—To long often in the day for the arrival

of the moment in which we shall be united after

death with our Redeemer, never more to be sepa

rated from him.

87

THE SORROWFUL MYSTERIES.*

THE FIRST MYSTERY.

The Agony in the Garden.—Virtue, Resig

nation AND FIDELITY TO PRAYER.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery our

Saviour in the Garden of Olives, pros

trate on the ground, bathed in a bloody

sweat, accepting from his Father's hand

the bitter chalice there offered to him.

Let our prayers, our compunction and

resignation, be animated by this Model.

The Prayer.

Mother of God made man to save

mankind, who didst more sensibly than

all his Martyrs feel the sufferings of thy

divine Son, obtain of him for us a ve

hement contrition for our sins, a perse

vering fervour in our prayers, and a per

fect resignation in all adversities. Amen.

* These fire Mysteries of the second part, called Dolo

rous or Sorrowful, are to be said on Tuesdays and Fridays

throughout the year, and on the Sundays of Lent.

88

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider our Redeemer falling prostrate

to the ground, unable to bear our iniquities, which

" were all laid upon him." Think how excessive

must have been his anguish when it forced blood

from every pore. Yet reflect, that in this sad hour,

when all the torments he was about to suffer, and

all the crimes and ingratitude of mankind, ours

amongst the rest, came before his view, and pressed

him down to the earth, until he exclaimed, " My Fa

ther ! if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me,"

—Matt. xxvi. ; still he conformed with perfect re

signation to the will of his heavenly Father, adding,

" Let not my will but thine be done."

Second—You may consider how one of his dis

ciples sold him for a few vile pieces of money ; how

another denied him ; how all his chosen friends de

serted him in the hour of his affliction.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To bear with patience and resignation to

the will of God, every affliction of mind and body.

Second—To hasten to prayer, and persevere in

it, whenever we are overwhelmed with affliction.

" Christ being in an agony, prayed the longer."

—Luke xxii.

Third—To place no reliance on the sympathy of

friends, but to seek consolation from God alone.

89

THE SECOND MYSTERY.

The Scourging.—Virtue, Spirit of Penance.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

our Lord Jesus Christ, after being de

rided, calumniated, buffeted, and filled

with reproaches, was, by Pilate's order,

most cruelly scourged, and in that man

gled manner presented to the Jews.

The Prayer.

O Mother of God, whose heart was

rent by the stripes inflicted on thy Son,

we beseech thee by that love which in

duced him to shed his blood and give

his life for us, to obtain, by thy inter

cession, that we may ever carefully avoid

those criminal pleasures and sensual

gratifications, to expiate which the

sacred flesh of our Redeemer was man

gled in such an inhuman manner.

Amen.

90

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Let us approach in spirit the pillar to

which our divine Redeemer is bound ; let us listen to

the blows of the scourges as they tearhis virginal body,

until the ground is covered with his blood and frag

ments of his flesh ; then let us reflect that itwas through

an ardent love for us, who have treated him with so

much ingratitude, and in atonement for our sensu

ality, that he subjected himself to so dreadful a

punishment.

Second—Let us contemplate the unalterable

meekness of our Lord while undergoing this cruel

torment. He opens not his mouth to complain ; he

turns not away his body from the strokes ; but he

offers up all his sufferings to his eternal Father for

the sins of mankind.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To chastise our bodies and bring them

under subjection, as St. Paul did, lest perhaps we

may become reprobates.—1 Cor. ix. 27.

Second—To practise some one act, at least, of

mortification during the ensuing day.

Third—To bear in silence the corporal or spiri

tual afflictions with which God may be pleased to

visit us.

Fourth—To have compassion on all those who

are suffering, and to afford them whatever relief may

be in our power.

91

THE THIRD MYSTERY.

The Crowning with Thorns.— Virtue, Love

or Humiliations.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery the

indignities and insults now offered to

Jesus Christ ; he is derided as a mock

king ; a reed is his sceptre ; thorns are

his crown ; an old purple rag is the

robe of his royalty. Let his unrepin-

ing patience console and instruct us

under affronts and humiliations.

The Prayer.

O most meek and compassionate Vir

gin, whose anguish at these multiplied

outrages could only be equalled by the

feelings of Him who underwent them,

beg, we beseech thee, that we may ever

gratefully remember these tender proofs

of his love ; that his crown of thorns

may be our neverfailing remedy against

pride, and his patience under those in

sults, our comfort and support in all our

afflictions. Amen.

(12

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider the new and unheard-of tor

ment which our Saviour had to suffer for our sins.

A crown of sharp thorns is beaten down in cruel

mockery into his head, until the points are forced

through the flesh ; some rags of purple and scar

let are flung in derision around him, and a reed

is placed as a mock sceptre in his hands. Thus

attired, he is exposed to the wanton and outrageous

insults and injuries of a ferocious rabble.

Second—Consider that our blessed Lord felt our

sins far more keenly than even those sharp thorns.

That crown, however painful, afflicted him less than

our pride and ambition, and the inordinate desire

we have for the childish honours of this world.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To learn of Jesus Christ to be " meek

and humble of heart."—Matt. xi.

Second—To show some marks of kindness

towards those who treat us with contempt. " The

humiliations which we impose on ourselves are good,

but those we receive from others are better."

03

THE FOURTH MYSTERY.

The Carrying of the Cross.— Virtue, Chris

tian use of Sufferings.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery our

Saviour on his way to Mount Calvary,

bending under the weight of the cross,

which was laid upon him for his great

er torment and humiliation. Let us, as

much as is in our power, assist him in

carrying it, by carrying our own cou

rageously.

The Prayer.

Most holy and generous Mother,

who didst accompany thy beloved Son

even to Calvary, feeling in thy love for

him the heavy weight of his cross, ob

tain, through thy prayers, that we may

follow in the path which his blood has

marked out for us, and ever cheerfully

carry all those crosses which his mercy

or his justice shall assign to us. Amen.

94

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider that no sooner is sentence

passed on our Redeemer by his unjust judge, than

his enemies hasten him forward, and place on his

exhausted frame the heavy instrument of his pun

ishment. See him tottering along under this cruel

load, attempting in vain to support it ; see him

sinking to the ground, while the ferocious soldiers

strive, by blows of the most insulting description,

to compel him to arise. What must sin be when

Christ had to suffer so much in order to atone for it ?

Second—Consider how the Jews, perceiving at

last that our Redeemer could not support the cross,

and fearing that he might expire under it, and there

by escape the agonizing punishmentwith which their

malice resolved to glut itself, forced Simon of

Cyrene, who was passing by, to carry it. Which of

us does not envy him this privilege ? Which of us

would not have gladly borne that cross to relieve,

even in this slight way, our suffering Master ? But

he calls on us to bear not his cross, which would be

too weighty for our weakness, but our own. " If

any man will come after me, let him deny himself,

and take up his cross and follow me."—Matt. xvi.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To reflect often that he " who suffers with

patience, suffers less, and is saved ; but he who

suffers with impatience, suffers more, and is lost."

Second—To remember that " whom God loves

he chastises," Heb. xi. ; and that the prosperity of

the sinner is fearful, as it is a sign that he is re

served for eternal chastisements.

95

THE FIFTH MYSTERY.

The Crucifixion.— Virtue, Pardon of

Enemies.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery the

Son of God suspended by nails from the

cross, covered with wounds, and expiring

in bitter agonyin thepresence of his most

afflicted Mother. He dies through love

of us ! He dies that we may live !

The Prayer.

O Queen of Martyrs, victim of sor

row, who, motionless and silent at the

foot of the cross, wert doomed to hear

the dying groans of thy Son, and to

mingle thy tears with his blood, trans

fixed with that sword of grief which

holy Simeon had announced to thee,

obtain for us, we most humbly beseech

thee, that we may have a lively feeling

of the sufferings of our Redeemer, that

we may hate our sins which reduced

him to the state in which we behold

him, that we may learn from his example

to pardon our worst enemies, and that

we may eagerly devote the remainder

of our lives to his love and service. Amen.

9«

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Let us fancy ourselves present at the mo

ment of the crucifixion. Let us listen to the sound

of the hammers as the rough nails are driven into

the flesh of our divine Redeemer, and consider how

every blow quivers through the tender heart of

Mary. Let us view the Creator of the universehang

ing for three long hours in agonizing torture, while

life is crushed out of him drop by drop, and then

let us ask ourselves, what caused those cruel suffer

ings ? Amazing love for such vile wretches as we

are. And are we never to love this God of all

goodness in return ?

Second—Let us listen to the sublime lesson which

our dying Redeemer preaches to us from the cross.

Beholding around him the ferocious monsters who

persecuted him to death, and whom he could have

destroyed with a single word, he lifts his expiring

voice only to pray for them : " Father, forgive

them, for they know not what they do." Can we,

with such an example before us, hesitate to forgive

fully and freely those who have in any manner in

jured us ?

Practical Resolutions.

First—To pray fervently for our enemies.

Second—To bestow on them, should there be an

opportunity, some mark of kindness.

97

THE FIVE GLORIOUS MYSTERIES*

THE FIRST MYSTERY.

The Resurrection.— Virtue, Lively Faith.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

our Lord Jesus Christ, triumphing over

death, arose the third day in a blaze of

glory from the tomb, thus establishing

our faith, and animating us with the

blessed hope that we too shall one day

arise to immortal happiness.

The Prayer.

Most Holy Mother of God, by those

transports of joy wherewith thou wert

overwhelmed at the resurrection of thy

adorable Son, obtain for us, by thy in

tercession, that we may participate in

the glory of his immortal Life, and that

we may arise from the tomb of our sins

and evil habits, so as never more to re

turn to them. Amen.

• These Mysteries are to be said on Wednesdays and

Saturdays throughout the year, and on Sundays from Eas

ter to Advent.

98

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Let us consider how our blessed Saviour

confirmed, beyond all doubt, the certainty of those

truths he had taught during his mortal life, by rais

ing his body from the tomb. This was the won

derful miracle to which he always referred the Jews

for the truth of his divine mission ; and that he

performed it, is proved to a demonstration, the evi

dence of which no sincere inquirer can resist.

Second—Let us reflect that, as St. Paul says,

Rom. viii., " He who raised up Jesus Christ from

the dead, will quicken [bring to life] our mortal

bodies ;" and that therefore, as the same Apostle

remarks, Coloss. iii., " we should mind the things

that are above, not the things that are upon the

earth." Let us therefore consider the goods of

this passing life as mere vanity, and animated with

a lively faith, let us constantly fix our affections on

those everlasting advantages which Christ acquired

for us by his death and resurrection.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To despise whatever does not lead to

God.

Second—To regulate our sentiments and our

conduct, not by the maxims of the flesh, but by

the light of faith.

99

THE SECOND MYSTERY.

The Ascension.— Virtue, Hope.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how,

on the fortieth day after his resurrection,

the Son of God ascended into heaven in

the presence of his Messed Mother and

of his disciples, and how he invites us

to follow him now by the fervour of our

desires, if we wish to join him hereafter

in reality.

The Prayer.

O Holy Virgin, who didst sigh after

thy Son in heaven more ardently than

all those together who had attended him

on earth, draw us to him by thy pow

erful intercession, that, disengaged more

and more from the empty enjoyments of

this world, we may every day advance

in the path that leads to our true and

everlasting country. Amen.

100

Subjectsfor Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Reflecthow our Redeemer, having appeared

several times during the space of forty days after his

resurrection to his disciples, and having given them

many instructions regarding his Church, ascends

with great majesty, in their presence, into heaven ;

and let us remember that he has gone before us, to

prepare a place for us in that ever-glorious king

dom.

Second—While considering this Mystery, we

should think deeply and joyfully on that heaven

where we are one day to reign with Christ and his

Saints. Eye hath not seen its beauty, ear hath not

heard its harmony, nor can the heart of man con

ceive what delights God has prepared for those who

love and serve him. In heaven there is nothing

you would not wish for, and there is everything you

can desire.

Practical Resolutions.

First—Ever to act as beings destined for heaven ;

consequently, to soar far above the miserable plea

sures of life.

Second—To labour constantly to. render our

selves more and more worthy of our sublime des

tiny.

101

THE THIRD MYSTERY.

The Descent of the Holy Ghost.— Virtue,

Zeal.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

our Lord Jesus Christ, being seated at

the right hand of his Father, sent, as

he had promised, the Holy Ghost upon

his Apostles, not only endowing them

with treasures of grace for their per

sonal sanctification, but enlightening

their understanding and inflaming their

will, to spread throughout all nations

the knowledge and love of his religion.

The Prayer.

Hail full of grace ! replenished on

the day of Pentecost with a still great

er abundance of heavenly gifts, look

with pity on our innumerable wants,

and obtain for us some sparks of that

sacred fire which fell upon thee, that,

enlightened by the Gospel truths, and

animated by the ardour of divine love,

we may ever sensibly feel the influence

of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

102

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider how the Holy Ghost descended

on the day of Pentecost in the form of tongues of

fire on the Apostles, and on the Blessed Virgin, who

was in the midst of them ; and reflect on the won

derful effects that this divine Spirit immediately

produced. Men heretofore so weak and timid, at

once feel a strength which emboldens them to pro

claim, in defiance of all the enmity of the Jews,

the truths of the new law, and to meet with

joy the greatest sufferings.

Second—Consider that in gratitude for the light

of faith, which God in his goodness has bestowed

on you in preference to so many others, you ought

to feel an ardent zeal to make God known and

loved by all men, to join in every undertaking which

has his honour and the salvation of men for its ob

ject, and by every prudent means to prevent the

commission of sin, however prevalent that sin may

be in the world.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To sacrifice our own interests to the in

terests of religion.

Second—To uphold the Gospel truth with firm

ness before libertines and infidels.

Third—To convert sinners, as far as we are able,

by word and example.

103

THE FOURTH MYSTERY.

The Assumption.— Virtue, Reverence for

the Mother of God.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

the period appointed by the eternal

Wisdom having at length arrived, the

Blessed Virgin quits the earth and re

gains the company of her Son. Let us

rejoice in her inconceivable happiness

and dazzling glory, begging that she

may conduct us by her prayers to the

same blissful region.

The Prayer.

Mother of love, advocate of sinners,

forget not us poor pilgrims, who are

journeying through this valley of tears,

surrounded and assailed by so many

enemies ; obtain for us, through the

merits of thy precious death, a detach

ment from all earthly things, the par

don of our sins, and an ardent love for

thy Son, our Lord and Redeemer, Christ

Jesus. Amen.

104

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Consider how joyfully the Blessed Virgin

must have welcomed the hour of her dissolution,

as it was to reunite her for ever to her beloved Son.

After her blessed death, herbody is not permitted by

God to remain in the tomb, but is assumed into hea

ven, amidst the rejoicing of the celestial choirs. Pour

forth your thanksgivings to the Almighty, for the

graces and favours bestowed on your glorious Pa

troness.

Second—Resolve that you will ever feel a tender

devotion towards the Mother of God, and an un

bounded confidence in the efficacy of her prayers,

and that you will strive to spread this devotion and

confidence throughout the circle of your acquain

tances, inducing them to enter into some of those

confraternities, especially that of the Rosary, which

are associated for the purpose of honouring the

Mother of the Redeemer.

Practical Resolutions.

First—To let no day pass without recommend

ing ourselves frequently to the intercession of the

Blessed Virgin.

Second—To receive the Sacraments on her prin

cipal Festivals.

105

THE FIFTH MYSTERY.

The Crowning of the Blessed Virgin.—

Virtue, Perseverance.

The Meditation.

Let us consider in this Mystery how

the Son of God receives into Heaven

his most Holy Mother, assigning her

the preeminence that was due to her

merits and dignity, and crowning her

with the brightest diadem of glory.

The Prayer.

0 glorious Queen of all the heaven

ly citizens! accept, we beseech thee,

this Rosary, which, as a fragrant garland

of roses, we offer at thy feet ; obtain for

us, during life, the grace of perseverance

in the paths of virtue; and when the

hour of our death shall arrive, assist us,

by thy powerful intercession, to triumph

over the temptations of the world, the

flesh, and the devil, that so we may en

ter into those rapturous joys which God

has prepared for all those who cease not

to love him. Amen.

G 3

Km

Subjects for Meditation in this Mystery.

First—Conceive some faint idea of the sublime

dignity to which the Mother of God was raised by

her Son, when all the host of heaven, as St. Jerome

says, met her, and in a blaze of ineffable light con

ducted her to her throne. Long for the happy day

in which you are to see her so gloriously enthroned,

and resolve to follow, at an humble distance, in that

path of virtue which led her to such a stupendous

exaltation.

Second—Consider that it was by perseverance

in the fulfilment of all the lowly duties of her tem

poral state, and in the practice of the most sublime

virtues, that our blessed Lady merited her effulgent

crown. Pray for the most precious grace of per

severance, that grace on which our eternal salva

tion depends. " He who perseveres to the end, shall

be saved."

Practical Resolutions.

First—To observe steadfastly all our good pur

poses, avoiding the habits of those whose whole life

is an alternation of repentance and relapses.

Second—To beseech over and over again the

Mother of God to obtain for us the inestimable gift

of final perseverance. For this is a grace which

may be gained by prayer, but cannot be strictly

merited.

107

SALVE REGINA,

Hail ! holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,

our life, our sweetness, and our hope ;

to thee do we cry, poor banished children

of Eve ; to thee do we send up our

sighs, mourning and weeping in this

valley of tears. Turn,, then, most gra

cious advocate, thine eyes of mercy to

wards us, and after this our exile, show

unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb,

Jesus. O clement ! O pious ! O sweet

Virgin Mary !

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of

God.

R. That we may be made worthy of

the promises of Christ.

Let us Pray.

O God, whose only-begotten Son, by

his life, death, and resurrection, has pur

chased for us the rewards of eternal

life, grant, we beseech thee, that medi

tating upon these Mysteries in the most

holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,

we may imitate what they contain, and

obtain what they promise, through the

same Christ our Lord. Amen.

108

THE LITANY

or

GDfje 2$ltt$stfi Strain;

CALLED ALSO,

THE LITANY OF LORETTO*

We fly under thy protection, O holy

Mother of God, despise not our prayers

in our necessities, but deliver us from

all dangers, O ever glorious and blessed

Virgin !

Lord, have mercy on us,

Christ, have mercy on us,

Lord, have mercy on us,

Christ, hear us,

Christ, graciously hear us,

God the Father of Heaven, "1 h|

God the Son, Redeemer of the | |

World, y\

God the Holy Ghost, j 1

Holy Trinity one God, J p

* Sixtus V granted an Indulgence of two hundred days

to the faithful, every time they recite devoutly, and witrl

contrition of heart, this Litany. Benedict XIII confirmed

this Indulgence, and granted, moreover, to those who daily

109

LITANLE

IS, ittartar Ftisims.

Sub tuum presidium confugimus, sancta

Dei Genitrix, nostras deprecationes ne

despicias in necessitatibus, sed a pe-

riculis cunctis libera nos, O Virgo sem

per gloriosa et benedicta !

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison.

Kyrie eleison. Christe, audi nos.

Christe, exaudi nos.

Pater de ccelis Deus, miserere nobis.

Fili Redemptor mundi Deus, miserere

nobis.

Spiritus Sancte Deus, miserere nobis.

Sancta Trinitas unus Deus, miserere

nobis.

say this Litany, a Plenary Indulgence on the Annunciation,

Assumption, Nativity, Conception, and Purification of the

Blessed Virgin, provided they confess and receive and pray

according to the intentions of his Holiness.

110

Holy Mary,

Holy Mother of God,

Holy Virgin of Virgins,

Mother of Christ,

Mother of divine grace,

Most pure Mother,

Most chaste Mother,

Mother inviolate,

Mother undefiled,

Most amiable Mother,

Most admirable Mother,

Mother of our Creator,

Mother of our Redeemer, <|

Most prudent Virgin, j>^

Most venerable Virgin,

Most renowned Virgin, §,

Most powerful Virgin,

Most merciful Virgin,

Most faithful Virgin,

Mirror of Justice,

Seat of Wisdom,

Cause of our Joy,

Spiritual Vessel,

Vessel of Honour,

Vessel of singular devotion,

Mystical Rose,

s

1 II

Sancta Maria,

Sancta Dei Genitrix,

Sancta Virgo Virginum,

Mater Christi,

Mater divinae gratiae,

Mater purissima,

Mater castissima,

Mater inviolata,

Mater intemerata,

Mater amabilis,

Mater admirabilis,

Mater Creatoris,

Mater Salvatoris, ^

Virgo prudentissima, r 2

Virgo veneranda, §

Virgo praedicanda, SI

Virgo potens,

Virgo clemens,

Virgo fidelis,

Speculum justitiae,

Sedes sapientiae,

Causa nostra? letitiae,

Vas spirituale,

Vas honorabile,

Vas insignae devotionis,

Rosa mystica,

112

e

Tower of David,

Tower of Ivory,

House of Gold,

Ark of the Covenant,

Gate of Heaven,

Morning Star,

Health of the Sick,

Refuge of Sinners,

Comfort of the afflicted,

Help of Christians,

Queen of Angels,

Queen of Patriarchs,

Queen of Prophets,

Queen of Apostles,

Queen of Martyrs,

Queen of Confessors,

Queen of Virgins,

Queen of all Saints,

Queen of the most sacred Rosary,

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world, Hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takest away the

sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

113

©

3

o

Turris Davidica,

Turris eburnea,

Domus aurea,

FcEderis area,

Janua cceli,

Stella matutina,

Salus infirmorum,

Refugium peccatorum,

Consolatrix afflictorum,

Auxilium Christianorum,

Regina xingelorum,

Regina Patriarcharum,

Regina Propnetarum,

Regina Apostolorum,

Regina Martyrum,

Regina Confessorum,

Regina Virginum,

Regina Sanctorum omnium,

Regina sacratissimi Rosarii,

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

Parce nobis, Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

Eocaudi nos, Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

Miserere nobis.

u

114

ANGELUS DOMINI.*

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto

Mary. E. And she conceived of the Holy

Ghost.

Hail Mary, dec.

V. Behold the Handmaid of the Lord.

R. Be it done unto me according to thy word.

Hail Mary, &c.

V. And the Word was made flesh. R. And

dwelt amongst us.

Hail Mary, dec.

LET US PRAY.

Pour forth, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, thy grace

into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation

of Christ thy Son was made known by the mes

sage of an Angel, may, by his passion and cross,

be brought to the glory of his resurrection,

through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

* There is an Indulgence of one hundred days for those

who repeat this prayer ; and a Plenary Indulgence for those

who say it morning, noon, and night, during a month, on

any day they may choose within the month.

115

From Holy Saturday until the Eve of Tri

nity Sunday, instead of the Angelus, are

said thefollowing Anthem and Prayer :

Rejoice, 0 Queen of Heaven ! to see Alleluia.

The Sacred Infant born of thee ; Alleluia.

Arise triumphant from the tomb ; Alleluia.

Oh ! by thy prayers avert our doom. Alleluia.

V. Eejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mary, Allel.

R. For the Lord is truly risen. Alleluia.

LET US PRAY.

O God, who, by the resurrection of thy Son our

Lord Jesus Christ, hast been pleased to fill the

world with joy, grant, we beseech thee, that by

the intercession of his ever-glorious and Virgin

Mother, we may obtain the joys of eternal life,

through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOR THE DOMINICAN ORDER,

By whom the Confraternity of the Rosary was

established and perpetuated.

Our Father, &c., Hail Mary, &c, once.

THE PRAYER.

O God, who, for the enlightenment and salva

tion of nations, didst raise up the order of

Preachers, under the special patronage of the

116

most Blessed Virgin Mary, and hast been pleased

that it should at all times abound in the marks

of her singular protection, mercifully grant, that

she may continue to assist it with her powerful

intercession, obtaining for all its members piety,

zeal, and learning, to fulfil the sublime end of

their vocation, that, loving thee with devoted

affection, and sacrificing every earthly advantage

to promote thy honour and glory, they may in

struct many unto justice, and attain the tran

scendent happiness of thy everlasting kingdom,

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

FOE THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED,

Particularly the Deceased Members of the Con

fraternity.

PSALM CXXIX.

V. From the depths I cried out to thee, O

Lord ! Lord, hear my voice.

R. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice

of my petition.

V. If thou should observe iniquities, O

Lord ! Lord, who shall endure it ?

R. For with thee is propitiation, and because

of thy law I have waited for thee, O Lord.

V. My soul hath relied on his word: my

soul hath hoped in the Lord.

R. From the morning watch even until

night, let Israel hope in the Lord.

117

V. For with the Lord there is mercy ; and

with him there is plentiful redemption.

E. And he shall redeem Israel from all its

iniquities.

V. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord.

R. And let perpetual light shine unto them.

V. From the gates of hell,

E. Deliver their souls, O Lord.

V. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.

E. And let my supplication come unto thee.

\Jf a Priest is repeating the prayers, let him

add,]

V. The Lord be with you.

R. And with thy spirit.

let us PRAY.

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the

faithful, give to the souls of thy servants de

parted the remission of all their sins, that through

the help of pious supplications, they may obtain

the pardon they have always desired. Who

livest and reignest, for ever and ever. Amen.

V. May they rest in peace. R. Amen.

May the blessing of God Almighty, Father,

Son, and Holy Ghost, descend upon us, and re

main always with us. Amen.

118

FORM OF A

SOLEMN RECEPTION

INTO THE CONFRATERNITY OF THE ROSARY

OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

After the procession, the Brothers extinguish

their candles, except the Rector and Council.

The person to be admitted kneels behind the Rec

tor. After the Litany of Jesus, the Rector or

Superior begins the " Veni, Creator," in which all

join. At the commencement of the fourth verse,

" Accende lumen," the Rector lights the new

member s candle, who then kneels at the left side

of the Rector, and at the end of the hymn reads

his declaration or offering.

Veni, Creator Spiritus,

Mentes tuorum visita,

Iinple superna gratia

Quae tu creasti pectora.

2

Qui Paraclitus diceris,

Donum Dei Altissimi,

Fons vivus, ignis, charitas,

Et spiritalis unctio.

^

119

Tu septiformis munere,

Dextrae Dei tu digitus,

Tu rite promissum Patris,

Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus :

Infunde amorem cordibus :

Infirma nostri corporis

Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,

Pacemque dones protinus,

Ductore sic te praevio,

Vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem,

Noscamus atque Filium :

Te utriusque Spiritum

Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,

Sancto simul Paraclito,

Nobisque mittat Filius

Charisma Sancti Spiritus. Amen.

120

The Form of Offering oneself to the Blessed Virgin

Mary, to be admitted into her Confraternity.

Thrice sacred Virgin-Mother of God, I, [N.N.]

though most unworthy to be numbered amongst

thy servants, yet, animated by a consideration of

that overflowing tenderness which the angels admire

in thee, do here this day, with all possible humility

and devotion, in the presence of my Guardian

Angel and the whole court of heaven, choose thee

for my mother, advocate, and Lady, firmly resolving

to honour, love, and serve thee, with all filial duty,

diligence, and fidelity ; and to induce, to the best

of my ability, all others to do the same. I therefore

earnestly implore, most merciful and compassionate

Mother,by the precious blood which thy beloved Son,

my Saviour, shed for me in his bitter passion, that

thou wilt be graciously pleased to receive me into the

number of thy special servants, as one devoted to

thy perpetual service.

Be favourable to me, O Blessed Lady ! and ob

tain for me of thy all-powerful Son, that I may so

regulate my thoughts, words, and actions, as never

more to think, speak, or act in any manner dis

pleasing to his divine Majesty. Grant, furthermore,

O good and gracious Mother ! that I may never

forget thee, or break this promise which I now make

of honouring, loving, and serving thee all the days

of my life ; that so I may never be forgotten or for

saken by thee, but be always protected and assisted

by thee, especially at the awful hour of my depar

ture from this world. Amen.

121

Then the Superior or Rector will read thefal

lowing Prayers :

let us PRAY.

0 God, who didst instruct the hearts of the faithful

by the enlightenment of the Holy Ghost, grant,

that by the same Spirit we may have a right under

standing in all things; and evermore rejoice in his

holy consolation : through our Lord Jesus Christ, &c.

Amen.

O most blessed and adorable Trinity, who, in thy

mercy, art pleased to inspire this, thy servant,

to enroll himself amongst the devout clients of the

glorious Virgin Mother, grant him, and us, so to

persevere in thy love and service, that, after we finish

the course of this miserable life, we may sing thy

praises for all eternity. Amen.

Then the Superior receives him into the Confra

ternity, by repeating these words, and giving him

his benediction, as follows :

By the authority committed to me for this end,

by the Superiors of the holy Order of St. Dominick,

1 receive you into the Confraternity of the holy Ro

sary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and do admit you

to a participation of all the spiritual benefits which

have been granted to the Brothers and Sisters of the

Sacred Rosary, by the Popes and General Councils.

tj« In the name of the Father, ij« and of the

Son, ij« and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

h 5

122

THE BLESSING OF THE SCAPULARS

AND HABITS.*

V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.

R. Qui fecit cesium et terram.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R. Et cum spirit 11 tuo.

Oremus.

Domine Jesu Christe, qui tegumen nostras morta-

litatis induere dignatus es, obsecramus immensae

largitatis abundantiam; ut hoc genus restimentorum,

quod sancti Patres ad innocentiae et humilitatis in

dicium ferre sanxerunt, ita beneij»dicere digneris,

ut qui hoc usus fuerit te induere mereatur Chris

tum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

They are then sprinkled with holy water.

BLESSING OF THE BEADS.

V. Adjutorium, &c.

R. Qui fecit, &c.

V. Domine, exaudi orationem meain.

R Et clamor meus ad te veniat.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

• The habits should be either altogether of a white colour,

or white and black—never brown. The white is the em

blem of innocence ; the black, of penance and mortification.

123

Oremus.

Omnipotens et misericors Deus, qui propter ex-

imiam charitatem tuam qua dilexisti nos, Filium

tuum unigenitum, Dominum nostrum Jesum Chris

tum, de coelis in terram descendere, et de beatissimae

Virginis Mariae Dominae nostrae utero sacratissimo,

Angelo nunciante, carnem suscipere, crucemque ac

mortem subire, et tertia die gloriose a mortuis re-

surgere voluisti, ut nos eriperes de potestate diaboli ;

obsecramus immensam clementiam tuam, ut haec

signa Rosarii, in honorem et laudem ejusdem Ge-

nitricis Filii tui ab Ecclesia tua iidoli dicala,

bene>J<dicas et sanctitjifices, eisque tantam infundas

virtutem Spiritus Sancti, ut quicumque horum

quodlibet secum portaverit, atque in domo sua reve-

renter tenuerit, et in eis ad Te, secundum ejusdem

sanctae Societatis instituta, divina contemplando

mysteria devote oraverit ; salubri et perseveranti de-

votione abundet, sitque consors et particeps omnium

gratiarum, privilegiorum et Indulgentiarum, quae

eidem Societati per sanctam Sedem Apostolicam

concessa fuerunt ; ab oinni hoste visibifi et invisi-

bili, semper et ubique in hoc seculo liberetur ; et

in exitu suo ab ipsa beatissima Dei Genitrice tibi

plenus bonis operibus praesentari mereatur. Per

eundem Dominum, &c.

They are then sprinkled with holy water.

124

FORM OF THE GENERAL ABSOLUTION,

Given to the Members of the Confraternity at

the point of Death,

WITH A PLENARY INDULGENCE.

Having repeated the " Confiteor," " Misereatur,"

" Absolutionem," &c.

Dominus noster Jesus Christus, Filius Dei vivi, qui

Beat» Petro Apostolo suo dedit potestatem ligandi

atque solvendi, per suara piissimam misericordiam

recipiat confessionem tuam, et remittat tibi omnia

peccata, quaecunque, et quomodocunque in toto

vitae decursu commisisti, de quibus corde contritus

et ore confessus es, restituens tibi stolam primaui

«I nam in baptismato recepisti. Et per Indulgen-

tiam Plenariam a Summis Pontificibus, Innocentio

VIII et Pio V, confratribus Sanctissimi Rosarii in

articulo mortis constitutis concessam, liberet te a

praesentis et futurae vita? poenis, dignetur Purgatorii

cruciatus remittere, portas inferi claudere, Paradisi

januam aperire, teque ad gaudia sempiterna perdu-

cere, per sanctissima sua vitae, Passionis et glori-

ficationis Mysteria sanctissimo Rosario comprehensa.

Qui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto Deus unus vivit

et regtiat in saecula saeculoium. Amen.

125

PRAYERS FOR MASS.

A Prayer before Mass.

Eternal Father ! in this Sacrifice I offer thee

thy beloved Son, Christ Jesus, together with all

his merits, first, in honour of thy majesty ; se

condly, in thanksgiving for all the benefits which

I have received, or hope to receive, from thee ;

thirdly, in satisfaction for all my sins, and for

those of all the living and dead ; fourthly, to

obtain eternal salvation, and all the graces ne

cessary to attain it.

At the Cotifiteor.

I confess before thee, 0 Lord God Almighty,

all the iniquities of my life. I acknowledge that

I justly deserve thy anger and indignation, be

cause I have sinned exceedinglyin thought, word,

and deed, through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault. Yet with my

whole heart, and with all my soul, I turn to

thee, O God ! who art mild and very merciful,

and purpose, with the assistance of thy grace, to

walk with more care and fidelity for the time to

come in the way of thy commandments. Holy

Virgin, Angels and Saints of heaven, intercede

for me, and obtain pardon for my manifold

offences !

126

At the Introit.

psalm xciv.

Come let us adore God, and fall down before

the Lord, and weep before the Lord who made

us : for he is the Lord our God. Come let us

praise the Lord with joy, let us joyfully sing to

God our Saviour.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and

to the Holy Ghost.

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever

shall be, world without end. Amen.

[Repeat, " Come let us adore, &c]

At the Kyrie Eleison.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

At the Gloria in Excelsis.

Gloky be to God on high,

And on earth peace to men of good will.

We praise thee ;

127

We bless thee;

We adore thee ;

We glorify thee ;

We give thee thanks for thy great glory,

0 Lord God, Heavenly King, God the Father

Almighty.

O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son.

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the

Father,

Who takest away the sins of the word, have

mercy on us.

Who takest away the sins of the world, receive

our prayers.

Who sittest at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For thou only art holy ;

Thou only art the Lord ;

Thou only, 0 Jesus Christ, together with

the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of

God the Father. Amen.

At the Collect.

LET US PRAY.

O Almighty and eternal God, who, in the

abundance of thy goodness, exceedest both the

merits and requests of thy suppliants, pour forth

thy mercy upon us, and both pardon what our

conscience dreadeth, and grant such blessings

as we dare not presume to ask, through Christ

our Lord. Amen.

128

Preserve us, 0 Lord, we beseech thee, from

all dangers of body and soul ; and, by the inter

cession of the ever-glorious and blessed Virgin

Mary Mother of God, of thy blessed Apostles

Peter and Paul, of the blessed Dominick our

Father, and of all the Saints, grant us, in thy

mercy, health and peace, that all adversities and

errors being removed, thy church may serve thee

with a pure and undisturbed devotion.

O Almighty and eternal God, who hast domi

nion over the living and the dead, and art mer

ciful to all whom thou knowest will be thine by

faith and good works, we humbly beseech thee,

that they for whom we propose to offer our

prayers, whether the present world still retains

them in the flesh, or the next world hath already

received them divested of their bodies, may, by

the clemency of thine own goodness, and the in

tercession of thy saints, obtain pardon and full

remission of their sins. Through our Lord

Jesus Christ, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth

with thee and the Holy Ghost, world without

end. Amen.

At the Epistle.

1 COR. XIII.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of

angels, find have not charity, I am become as

sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And if

I should have prophecy, and should know all

129

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I should

have faith so that I could remove mountains,

and have not charity, I am nothing. And if I

should distribute all my goods to feed the poor,

and if I should deliver my body to be burned,

and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity is patient, is kind : charity envieth not,

dealeth not perversely ; is not puffed up, is not

ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked

to anger, thinketh no evil ; rejoiceth not in ini

quity, but rejoiceth with the truth ; beareth all

things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,

endureth all things. Charity never falleth away ;

whether prophecies shall be made void, or

tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be des

troyed. For we know in part, and we prophesy

in part. But when that which is perfect, is

come, that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I under

stood as a child, I thought as a child ; but when

I became a man, I put away the things of a

child. We now see through a glass in a dark

manner, but then face to face. Now I know in

part, but then I shall know even as I am known.

And now there remain faith, hope, charity; but

the greatest of these is charity."

After the Epistle.

Grant, O my God, that I may attentively listen

to thy instructions, conveyed to mo by thy Pro

130

phets and Apostles. Make me regulate my life

by those sacred truths, that so I may be thy

disciple not merely in name, but in truth and

reality.

I am now, O divine Jesus, to hear thy own

words in the Gospel ; grant that I may attend

with profound respect, an humble docility, and

an ardent desire to perform all that thou wilt

command.

At the Gospel.

matt. v.

" Jesus seeing the multitudes, went up into a

mountain ; and when he was set down, his dis

ciples came unto him. And opening his mouth,

he taught them, saying : Blessed are the poor in

spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the meek ; for they shall possess the

land. Blessed are they that mourn ; for they

shall be comforted. Blessed are they that hun

ger and thirst after justice ; for they shall have

their fill. Blessed are the merciful ; for they

shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of

heart ; for they shall see God. Blessed are the

peace-makers ; for they shall be called the chil

dren of God. Blessed are they that suffer per

secution for justice sake ; for theirs is the king

dom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when they shall

revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that

131

is evil against you untruly, for my sake; be

glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great

in heaven You have heard that it hath been

said : thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate

thy enemy. But I say to you, love your ene

mies ; do good to them that hate you, and pray

for them that persecute and calumniate you

For if you love them that love you, what reward

shall you have ? do not even the publicans this ?

And if you salute your brethren only, what do

you more ? do not also the heathens this ? Be

you therefore perfect, as your heavenly Father is

perfect."

At the Credo.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things,

visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-be

gotten Son of God, and born of the Father

before all ages. God of God, light of light,

true God of true God ; begotten, not made ;

consubstantial to the Father; by whom all

things were made. Who for us men, and for

our salvation, came down from heaven ; and be

came incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin

Mary ; and was made man. He was crucified

also for us, suffered under Pontius Pilate, and

was buried. And the third day he arose again,

according to the Scriptures ; and ascended into

132

heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father ;

and is to come again with glory to judge both

the living and the dead; of whose kingdom

there shall be no end.

And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver

of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the

Son ; who, together with the Father and the Son,

is equally adored and glorified ; who spoke by

the Prophets. And one, holy, Catholic, and

apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the

remission of sins ; and I expect the resurrection

of the dead, and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

At the Offertory.

Accept, O holy Father, almighty and eternal

God, this unspotted Host, which I, thy unworthy

servant, offer unto thee, my living and true God,

for my innumerable sins, offences, and negli

gences, and for all here present ; as also for all

faithful Christians, both living and dead, that it

may avail both me and them unto life everlast

ing. Amen.

O Eternal Father, in union with that ineffable

love wherewith my Redeemer offered himself on

the cross to thy divine Majesty, I also offer

myself with him, humbly beseeching thee to di

rect all my thoughts, words, and actions to thy

honour, to my own good, and to the edification

of my neighbour.

13a

At the Lavabo.

0 God, who ail purity itself, cleanse my soul

from all its iniquities and imperfections, and

render me worthy to participate in the sacred

banquet of the adorable body and blood of thv

Son.

At the Orate Fratr.es.

IVJay the Lord receive this sacrifice from the

hands of his Priest, to the praise and glory of

his name, and to our benefit and that of all his

holy Church.

At the Secret.

Be appeased, O Lord, by our humble prayers,

and mercifully receive these offerings of thy ser

vants ; that what each hath offered to the honour

of thy name may avail to the salvation of all :

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Graciously hear us, O God our Saviour, that

by virtue of this sacrament thou mayest defend

us from all enemies, both of body and soul, give

us grace in this life, and glory in the next.

O God, to whom alone is known the number

of thine elect to be placed in eternal bliss, grant,

we beseech thee, by the intercession of all thy

saints, that the book of a blessed predestination

may contain the names of all those for whom we

have undertaken to pray, as well as those of all

the faithful : through Christ our Lord, &c.

134

At the Preface.

P. World without end. R. Amen.

P. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy

spirit.

P. Lift up your hearts. R. We have lifted

them up to the Lord.

P. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

R. It is meet and just.

It is truly meet and just, right and available

to salvation, that we should always and in all

places give thanks to thee, 0 holy Lord, Father

Almighty, Eternal God, through Christ our

Lord. By whom the angels praise thy Majesty ;

the dominations adore it ; the powers tremble

before it ; the heavens, the heavenly virtues, and

blessed seraphim, with common ecstasy glorify

it. Together with whom, we beseech thee, that

we may be admitted to join our humble voices,

saying :

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts ! heaven

and earth are full of thy glory. Hosannah in

the highest ; blessed is he that cometh in the

name of the Lord ! Hosannah in the highest !

At the Canon.

0 Father of mercies, graciously receive this

most holy sacrifice, which we offer thee by the

hands of thy Priest, in union with that which thy

beloved Son offered thee during Ms whole life,

135

at his last supper, and on the cross. Look

down on thy Christ, thy dearest and only-be

gotten Son, in whom thou art always well

pleased, and by the infinite merits of his incar

nation, nativity, labours, sufferings, and death,

have mercy on me, on all those for whom I

ought to pray, on my relations, friends, and be

nefactors, and on those who have injured me,

or whom I may have injured. I also beseech

thee to guard, prosper, and extend the holy

Catholic Church ; to pour down thy blessings

on our chief pastor the Pope, and on the Bishops

and all the Clergy ; enlighten and guide them

in the way of salvation. Look down upon us

all, I beseech thee, with eyes of mercy and com

passion. Bring us to the perfect practice of a

holy and virtuous life here, and to the possession

of thy eternal glory hereafter. May we all

know thee ; may we all serve thee ; may we all

love and glorify thee, through the same Jesus

Christ, who, with thee and the holy Ghost, liveth

and reigneth, one God, world without end.

Amen.

Before the Consecration.

Behold, 0 Lord, we all here, though of dif

ferent conditions, yet united as members of that

one body of which thy Son is the head, present

to thee, in this bread and wine, the symbols of

our perfect union. Grant, O Lord, that they

136

may be made for us the true body and blood of

thy Son, that we, being consecrated to thee by

this holy Victim, may live in thy service, and

depart this life in thy grace.

He that is almighty and Truth itself, has said,

" This is my body ;" how then can we doubt it ?

He that made all things of nothing, by his word,

is he not to be believed, when he says he has

changed one thing into another ? Lord, I be

lieve and I adore.

At the Elevation.

Hail, blessed Jesus ! Son of God, I adore thee.

Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.

Thou art the Lamb of God, that died upon the

cross to save us. Thou hast the words of eter

nal life ; to whom shall we go but to thee, our

God and Saviour ?

Hail, sacred blood, that flowed from the

wounds of Jesus, to cleanse us from all our ini

quities ! Eternal Father, look upon the face of

thy Christ here present upon the altar, and,

through the merits of this adorable Victim, have

pity on us, and save us.

After the Elevation.

Thou art the King of Glory, 0 Christ.

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.

Thou, about to take on thee the deliverance

of man, didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.

137

Thou, having overcome the sting of death,

hast opened to believers the kingdom of heaven.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the

glory of the Father.

Thou art believed to be the Judge to come.

We, therefore, beseech thee to help thy ser

vants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy pre

cious blood.

Make them be numbered with thy saints in

eternal glory.

0 Lord, save thy people, and bless thy inhe

ritance.

And govern them, and exalt them for ever.

Every day we magnify thee.

And we praise thy name for ever and ever.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us tins day with

out sin.

Have mercy on us, 0 Lord, have mercy on us.

Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, be upon us, whereas

we have hoped in thee.

In thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped ; let me not

be confounded for ever.

A Prayerfor the Departed.

We humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, for

the souls of the faithful who have departed tins

life, particularly for N.N., that tins holy sacrifice

may prove to them eternal salvation, perpetual

rest, and everlasting happiness.

*

138

At the Nobis quoque Peccatoribus.

To us also, miserable sinners, grant mercy, 0

Lord, and judge us not according to our deme

rits, but through thy infinite goodness, grant us

grace and pardon. We ask it in the name of

thy beloved Son, who liveth and reigneth with

thee and the Holy Ghost, for ever and ever.

Amen.

At the Pater Noster.

Instructed by saving precepts, and follow

ing the divine directions, we presume to say,—

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be

thy name ; thy kingdom come; thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven ; give us this day our

daily bread ; and forgive us our trespasses, as

we forgive them that trespass against us ; and

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from

evil. Amen.

Deliver us, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, from all

evils, past, present, and to come ; and by the

intercession of the blessed and ever-glorious

Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and of die holy

apostles, Peter and Paul, and of Andrew, and of

all the saints, mercifully grant peace in our days,

that, through the assistance of thy mercy, we

may be always free from sin, and secure from all

disturbance. Through the same Jesus Christ,

our Lord, who, with thee and the Holy Ghost,

liveth and reigneth God, world without end.

Amen.

139

At the Agnus Dei.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of

the world, grant us peace.

A Spiritual Communion.

0 my God, how can I reflect on the happiness

of those who approach worthily to the holy Eu

charist, without ardently desiring to enjoy the

same blessing ? How can I assist at this adorable

sacrifice without regretting the sins and miseries

which justly deter me from receiving thee sacra-

mentally ? I am not worthy, O infinite Purity,

to lodge thee in my heart ; I am not worthy to

share in the happiness of those who enjoy thy

sacramental presence ; but, Lord, though I can

not unite myself to thee really, yet I am not for

bidden to do so in spirit and in desire. I be

lieve, most firmly, that thou art present in this

sacred Host ; I hope in that infinite mercy which

detains thee therein ; and I ardently desire to

receive thee, notwithstanding my unworthiness.

1 unite in the adoration, love, humility, and fer

vour of all who this day receive thee throughout

the universe ; and I earnestly beg of thee, by

that tender love which induces thee to give thy

140

self to thy creatures, to accept of every thought,

word, and action, from this to my next commu

nion, as so many acts of love, desire, and prepa

ration to receive thee ; and I earnestly conjure

thee, to crown all thy blessings with the inesti

mable grace of a worthy communion at the time

of my death. Amen.

At the Post-Communion.

O God, the restorer and lover of innocence,

draw to thyself the hearts of thy servants, that

being inflamed by thy holy spirit, they may be

constant in faith, and zealous in good works.

Through, &c.

May the oblation of this divine sacrament, we

beseech thee, O Lord, both cleanse and defend

us ; and by the intercession of the blessed Mary,

Virgin-Mother of God, together with that of

thy blessed apostles Peter and Paul, as likewise

of the blessed Dominick our Father, and of all

the saints, free us from all sin, and deliver us

from all adversity.

May those mysteries purify us, we beseech

thee, O almighty and merciful God ; and grant,

by the intercession of all thy saints, that this,

thy sacrament, may not increase our guilt unto

punishment, but be a means of obtaining pardon

unto salvation. May it wash away sin ; may

it strengthen our weakness ; may it secure us

against the dangers of the world ; may it pro

cure forgiveness for all the faithful, both living

and dead. Through our Lord Jesus, &c.

141

Before the Blessing.

Let the performance of my homage be pleasing

to thee, O holy Trinity, and grant, that the sa

crifice which I, though unworthy, have offered

up in the sight of thy Majesty, may be accep

table to thee, and, through thy mercy, be a

propitiation for me, and all those for whom it

has been offered. Through, &c.

At the Blessing.

May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son,

and Holy Ghost, descend upon us, and remain

always with us. Amen.

At the Last Gospel.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word

was with God, and the Word was God. The

same was in the beginning with God. All

things were made by him ; and without him was

made nothing that was made. In him was life ;

and the life was the light of men ; and the light

shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not

comprehend it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name

was John. This man came for a witness, to give

testimony of the light, that all men might be

lieve through him. He was not the light, but

was to give testimony of the light. That was

the true light, which enlighteneth every man

that cometh into this world.

i 3

142

He was in the world, and the world was made

by him, and the world knew him not. He came

unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them he gave

power to be made the sons of God ; to diem

that believe in his name : who are born not of

blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will

of man, but of God. And the Word was

made flesh, and dwelt amongst us ; and we

saw his glory, as it were the glory of the Only-

begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Thanks be to God.

For the Faithful Departed.

[De Profandis, as in page 116.]

Prayer after Mass.

I beturn thee all possible praise and thanks, O

Sovereign Creator, for the favours I have this

day received, and of which many better Chris

tians are deprived. Eeceive, O Lord, my un

worthy prayers ; supply all my deficiencies ; par

don all my want of devotion and distractions ;

grant, that through these divine mysteries, I may

go on courageously and constantly in the path

of thy divine commandments, notwithstanding

all the obstacles which beset me in this world,

until at length I happily arrive at the kingdom

of bliss, where, with thy angels and saints, I

shall clearly contemplate thee, and unceasingly

celebrate thy infinite goodness, for ever and

ever. Amen.

143

THE MANNER

OF SERVING MASS,

ACCORDING TO THE DOMINICAN KITE.

The Clerk gives wine and water before the be

ginning of the Mass. In presenting the water,

(except in Masses for the dead), he says, " Bene-

dicite;" and after the blessing answers, " Amen."

P. In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.

Amen.

Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus.

C. Quoniam in sacculum misericordia ejus.

P. Confiteor Deo omnipotent!, et Beatae Marian

semper Virgini, et Beato Dominico Patri nostro, et

omnibus Sanctis, et vobis, Fratres, quia peccavi

nimis cogitatione, locutione, opere et omissione»

mea culpa, precor vos orare pro me.

C. Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimittat

tibi omnia peccata tua, liberet te ab omni malo,

salvet et confirmet in omni opere bono, et perducat

te ad vitam aetemam.

P. Amen.

C. Confiteor Deo omnipotent^ et Beatae Maris-

semper Virgini, et Beato Dominico Patri nostro, et

* The Dominican Rite, though substantially the same,

differs in a few particulars from that of the seculars. It is

of the highest antiquity, being the Romano-Gallican, intro

duced from Rome into France in the reign of Charlemagne.

144

omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, Patev, quia peccavi nimis

cogitatione, locutione, opere et omissione, mea culpa,

precor te orare pro me.

P. Misereatur vestri Omnipotens Deus et dimit-

tat vobis omnia peccata vestra, liberet vos ab omni

malo, salvet et confirmet in omni opere bono, et per-

ducat vos ad vitam aeternam.

C. Amen.

P. Absolutionem et remissionem omnium pecca-

torum vestrorum tribuat vobis omnipotens et mise-

ricors Dominus.

C. Amen.

P. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.

C. Qui fecit coelum et terrain.

The Clerk is not to say Deo gratias, after the

Epistle, nor Laus tibi Christe, after the Gospel.

No answer is returned when the Priest says the

Orate Fratres. The Domine non sum dignus is

not said.

ctM*

Itttlro

of

©ije ©inrfc #rter

of

St. Somitririt*

Sntrotructton.

About the commencement of the thirteenth cen

tury, the north of Italy and south of France were

infested with a sect of fanatics, at once profligate

and ignorant, who, despising all law and authority,

lived for the most part on the plunder of the church

and committed the most atrocious excesses against

their inoffensive fellow-citizens. To arrest these

outrages, and to defend the innocent, left, as they

were, without any adequate protection, St. Dominick,

unwearied by his incessant labours, induced multi

tudes in the various places which he traversed to

associate themselves into a kind of military order,

with the obligation of affording an anned aid to the

civil authorities, in upholding the laws and punishing

the transgressors. At the same time, the members,

for their own sanctification, were to perform at

stated periods certain acts of piety and of self-denial.

Their wives were allowed to join the Order, on en

tering into a solemn engagement not to prevent

their husbands from taking up arms, when called on

by the proper authority. But, though bound to

those observances, in other respects they lived like

the rest of the laity, superintending their family

concerns, and pursuing their worldly avocations.

In a few years from its formation, it was found

that this Order, which was called the Militia of

Jesus Christ, had so completely succeeded in the

primary object for which it was instituted, that its

148

military services were no longer needed. It was

then resolved that it should be changed into an

Order of Penitents, subject to the regulations which

will be found in the subsequent pages. As such, it

has continued to the present day, some of its mem

bers living in community, and openly wearing the

habit ; others continuing with their families, and

merely meeting the brethren at certain appointed

times ; but everywhere proving a source of great

edification to the people, and of assistance and con

solation to their Pastors. To this Order has the

Church of God been indebted for many illustrious

Saints:—for St. Catharine of Sienna, St. Catha

rine of Ricci, St. Rose of Lima, the Blessed

Albert of Bergamo, the Blessed Martin Porres,

the Blessed Benvenuta Bojani, the Blessed Emilia

Bicchieri, the Blessed Margaret of Savoy, the

Blessed Stefana Quinzani, the Blessed Osanna of

Mantua, the Blessed Margaret of Castello, the

Blessed Lucy of Narni, the Blessed Colomba of

Rieti, the Blessed Joanna of Orvieto, the Blessed

Catharine of Raconigi, and the Blessed Maria

Bartholomaea Bagnesi. This Order can also boast

of counting in its ranks several royal personages,

innumerable Priests and Prelates, and many distin

guished scholars. The pious and learned Cardinal

Acton is one of its present members ; and there is

at least another Cardinal, an Italian, belonging to

it. In Ireland it is spread throughout the midland

counties, and exists in several cities of the west,

east, and south of this kingdom ; and the Parish

Priests invariably bear the highest testimony to the

virtues and zeal which the Tercerians display, and

149

have in several instances declared, that they consi

dered the existence of this body amongst the people

placed under their spiritual jurisdiction, as one of

the greatest blessings which God could have be

stowed on them. May they thus continue diffusing

around the odour of sanctity, opposing, by their

example and their remonstrances, the spread of

iniquity ; rendering religion venerable in the eyes

even of the wicked, by humility, meekness, and

universal charity : acting, in a word, as becomes

the disciples of a Dominick, and the brethren of a

Catharine, a Rose, and a Martin.

RULES

OF THE

THIRD ORDER OF ST. DOMINICK.

CHAP. I.

Of the Qualities required in those who are to

be Received.*

In the first place, to secure the continual and

perpetual advancement of this order, which must

principally depend on the due dispositions of those

who are received, we will and ordain that no one

shall be admitted into the order of this Confra

ternity, unless by the Master or Director,f and by

the Prior of the said Confraternity, or with their

leave, and the consent of the greater part of the

professed brothers of the said place, and after a

diligent inquiry whether he be of a virtuous life

and good repute, and no way suspected of heresy, but

rather, as becomes a devoted son of St. Dominick,

zealous for the Catholic faith and a promoter of it

as far as in him lies ; who, before he receives the

* The first order, called the Order of Friars Preachers,

was founded in 1203 ; the second, namely, that of Nuns,

in 1206 ; and the third in 1209. f See Chap. xx.

131

habit, must fully satisfy and pay all his debts if he

owe any, and be reconciled to his neighbours, as

also have his last will made according to the advice

of a prudent confessor. And the same inquiries

are to be made with regard to women seeking ad

mission into the order. These, if married, cannot

be received into the Confraternity without the leave

and consent of their husbands ; which consent must

be given in a written and formal document.* The

same we order to be observed in regard of men who

have wives, unless one or other be prevented by

some cause which prudent persons deem sufficient.

CHAP. II.

Of the Habit of the Brotliers and Sisters, f

All the brothers and sisters of this Confraternity

are to wear white and black clothes, which must

not be costly either in reality or appearance, but

plain and modest, as suits the servants of God.

Their cloaks are to be black, as also the capuces

of the brothers ; their tunics white, the sleeves

extending to the wrists, not open, but sewed. Their

* Where the habit is not worn openly, the private con

sent of the husbands will suffice.

f This chapter principally regards those who openly

wear the habit and live in community. As to the dress of

the other Tertiaries, Benedict XIII, in his bull, Pretiosus,

mentions that it differs in different countries. In Portugal

they dress like other persons, merely wearing the scapular

inside their garments. In Flanders they always appear in

black. Whatever may be the form or colour of the dress,

it should be invariably simple and modest.

152

belts must be of leather, which the sisters are to

wear over* their tunics. In the form of then-

pockets, their shoes, and the like, all worldly vanity

must be avoided. The veils and bands of the

sisters are to be of white linen or canvass.

CHAP. III.

Of the Blessing of the Habit, and of the

manner of receiving it.

Whoever is to be received to the habit, must be

received in the chapter-room of the Confraternity,

or before the altar of the Dominican church of the

place, by the master or director aforesaid, or by

his vicar. He, then, who is to be received, humbly

asks on his knees to be admitted, and the master,

in the presence of some other Dominicans, and the

prior of the Confraternity, or his vicar, blesses the

habit, and puts it on him, saying the Veni Creator

Spiritus, before the altar. The members present

will continue the hymn to the end ; which being

finished, the master says, Kyrie Eleison, Chrisfe

Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Pater noster, Sfc. Emitte

Spiritum tuum et creabuntur ; Salvumfac servum

tuum, fyc. Oremus : Deus, qui corda fdeliinn

Sancli Spiritus illustratione docuisli, fyc. Pr<e-

tende famnio, fyc, and being answered Amen, he

sprinkles holy water on him, and then all the bro

thers give him the kiss of peace. The sisters are

received in the same way as was said of the brothers.

* The word in the original is sub, but it here signifies

over; sub, at the time, being often used for super. Tide the

< Regola del Terz' Online,' by the Vicar-General, Viviani.

153

CHAP. IV.

Of Profession, or the way of Professing.

The year of trial being completed, or sooner, if

the master and brothers find the person fit, he is to

make his profession in the hands of the master

thus : " To the honour of God Almighty, Father,

and Son, and Holy Ghost, and of the blessed

Virgin Mary, and of St. Dominick, I, brother

N. N., before you, N. N., Director, and you, N.

N., Prior of the Brothers of Penance of St. Do

minick, in such a place, do make my profession,

that I am resolved* henceforward to live according

to the form and rule of the brothers and sisters of

the same order of penance of St. Dominick till

death.f" The women are to profess the same way

before the master or prioress of the sisters, or to

whom they may commit the office.

* It will be observed, that as this form of profession

does not contain any tow, the word promise is not used.

In the old translation that word is found, but very impro

perly, as it does not exist in the original.

f If those who are professed wish to make a vow of per

petual chastity, as I believe is universally done by the

Tertiaries in Ireland, they may add to the form in the text,

" Likewise, I consecrate myself to the Lord, and promise

to observe perpetual chastity." But this vow should not

be rashly made—never without consulting an enlightened

director.

154

CHAP. V.

Of Persevering in this State.

We order, however, and determine, that no bro

ther or sister of this Confraternity and order, after

making the above profession, shall quit this order,

neither shall it be lawful for them to return to the

world;* yet they may freely and lawfully enter

and embrace any of the approved orders, which

profess the three solemn vows.

CHAP. VI.

Of Canonical Hours to he said.

The brothers and sisters are to say all the can

onical hours, unless sickness should prevent them.

For matins, they are to say twenty-four Paters ; for

vespers and complin, fourteen, and for each of the

other four hours, seven. But in honour of the Blessed

Virgin Mary, they are obliged to say an Ave Maria

with each of the above Paters. For the blessing

of the meat at table, let them say a Pater and Ave,

and the same for thanksgiving after meat, or the

psalm, Miserere mei Deus, or the Laudate Domi-

num omnes gentes, if they know them. All those

who know how to say the Creed,f are to say it in

* ' Return to the world,' in ascetic language, signifies the

withdrawal from the observances of a religious life.

+ When this rule was written, the people in some parts

of Europe were in a deplorable state of ignorance, so that

they became an easy prey to the heretics of that period.

155

the beginning of matins, in the beginning of prime,

and at the end of complin. Yet those who know

and say the canonical hours, as the clergy do, are in

no way bound to say the above-mentioned Paters

and Aves.

CHAP. VII.

Of Rising to Matins.

On Sundays and festivals from the Feast of All

Saints until Easter, all are to rise to matins. In

Advent and Lent they are to rise every night. But

those who are daily occupied in manual labour may

say their hours during the course of the day, and

in the evening they are to say vespers and complin

together.

CHAP. VIII.

Of Confession and Communion*

All are obliged to confess and receive at least

four times a year, to wit, on the feasts of Christ

mas, Easter, Pentecost, and the Assumption, or

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. Those alone are

exempted, who, for some reasonable cause, are

prohibited by their confessor. If any out of de-

* When this chapter was drawn up, the faithful com

municated less frequently than at present. Nuns them

selves were content with receiving fifteen times in the year.

St. Lewis obtained the leave of his confessor to approach

six times a year ; but at that period the preparation for

communion was most solemn and protracted.

156

votion wish to receive oftener in the year, having

asked and obtained leave from their superior, they

may, with God's blessing, satisfy their devotion.

CHAP. IX.

Of Silence to he observed in the Church.

In church, while Mass is celebrated, or the divine

office sung, or the word of God preached, all must

keep silence, and sedulously attend to prayer and

to the divine office. In case, however, of some

special necessity, a few words may be spoken in a

low tone of voice.

CHAP. X.

Of due reverence to be shown to Prelates and

to their Churches.

The brothers and sisters must, according to

canon law and established custom, devoutly visit

the churches of which they are parishioners,* and

treat with due reverence their bishops and inferior

pastors,f and give them their dues without the

least deduction. This they are to do with regard

not only to tithes, but to all accustomed offerings

* That is, for Paschal communion.

t The Tertiaries are to receive the Paschal communion

and the last sacraments from their parish priests: but

parish priests in general are quite ready to allow clergymen

of the Dominican Order to administer the Viaticum and

Extreme-Unction to the Tertiaries, especially as the Do

minican rite is much more solemn than the ordinary one.

167

CHAP. XI.

Of Fasts.

The brothers and sisters are to fast every day

from the first Sunday of Advent to Christmas, and

from Ash-Wednesday to Easter. They are also to

fast on all the Fridays in the year and the days

commanded by the church. Those who desire to

fast more than this, or to observe other austerities,

may do so with the permission of their prelate, or

the consent of a discreet confessor.

CHAP. XII.

Of the kind of Food permitted.

The brothers and sisters of this Confraternity

may eat flesh meat on Sundays, Tuesdays, and

Thursdays ; but on the other days they are to ab

stain, f unless they are sick, or very weak, or after

being bled, or unless there happen some great

festival, or when they are on a journey.

CHAP. XIII.

Of taking Walks.

They are not to waste their time in strolling and

unnecessary walking through the city. Neither

t This rule in its strict sense regards those only who are

at perfect liberty to act as they please ; for those who live

with their families should not be troublesome to them by

requiring a different description of food from what their

relatives use.

K 5

158

are the sisters, especially the young ones, to walk

alone. None can go to marriage feasts, dances,

parties, or shows. Nor may any leave the city

or place they live in, even to perform a pilgrimage,

without the special permission of the prelate or

master of the said Confraternity.

CHAP. XIV.

The Brothers must not carry Arms.

The brothers are not to carry arms of invasion or

assault, unless it be for the defence of the Christian

faith, or for some other reasonable cause, and with

leave of their prelates.*

"CHAP. XV.

Of Visiting and Helping the Sick.

The prior is to appoint two of the brothers,

whose duty it will be, whenever they learn that any

member is sick, to visit him with great charity as

soon as possible, and immediately exhort him to

receive the rites of the church. And if he want

corporal assistance, let them procure it for him as

well as they can. And if he be poor, let them

assist him from their own means, or the common

purse, as far as they are able. The same the

sisters are to do in regard to the sick sisters.

* This chapter was inserted when the Tertiaries formed

a military order, to prevent the dangers likely to occur from

carrying arms on all occasions. At present, of conrse, the

brothers are not to bear them at all.

159

CHAP. XVI.

Of the Death of the Brothers and Sisters, and

of the Suffragesfor them.

When any brother departs from this life, the

rest of the brothers of the town are to be inform

ed of his death, that they may be all present at

his funeral, from which they are not to depart un

til he is buried. The same is to be observed with

regard to the deceased sisters. Moreover, within

eight days after the interment of a member, each

brother and sister is to say, for the repose of the

departed soul, fifty Psalms, if he or she know how

to say the Psalter ; if illiterate, a hundred Pater nos-

ters, &c, adding to each, 'Eternal rest grant,' &c. :

but a Priest, instead of these prayers, is to say a

mass. Besides, each brother and sister is to have

three masses offered every year for the members,

living and dead, and to say the Psalter if they

can, or if not, five hundred Pater nosters.

CHAP. XVII.

Ofthe Appointment of the Prior and Prioress.

When the Prior of the Confraternity is dead or

removed, the master or director, with the council of

the elders of the said Confraternity, is to institute a

new Prior. Every year within the Octave of Easter,

or some other convenient time, the aforesaid mas

ter is to hold a council with those elders about re

moving or continuing the Prior. After the same

160

manner, the Prior of the Confraternity, with the

advice of the master and some of the elders, may

appoint a Sub-prior or Vicar, and afterwards con

firm or remove him as they deem most expedient.

This Sub-prior or Vicar will enjoy such power and

authority as the Prior may grant him. And this

same form is to be observed in the institution of

the Prioress and Sub-prioress, without any differ

ence whatever.

CHAP. XVIII.

Of the Duties of Prior and Prioress.

The Prior's duty is, to observe with great ex

actness whatever is written in the Rules, and to

take care that it be observed by others. If he see

any transgressing, or even negligent, he must cha

ritably reprove and correct them, or should he deem

it advisable, let him inform the master or director

of the Confraternity, who will correct the delinquent.

In like manner the office of the Prioress is to vi

sit assiduously the church, and to excite the other

sisters by word and example to a strict observance

of the Rule, and to see by herself, and by means

of others, to whom she will entrust the duty, that

nothing appear in the gait, or deportment, or dress,

of the sisters, which may afford matter for disedifica-

tion. Above all, she is to take care that none of the sis

ters, especially the more youthful, form habits of

familiarity with any man, no matter what his condi

tion, unless he be a near relative of the sister, and

also of good life and unblemished character.

161

CHAP. XIX.

Ofthe Correction of the Brothers and Sisters.

If there be a report that any of the members

has contracted a suspicious familiarity with a person

of a different sex, and being thrice admonished,

does not appear amended, let him be excluded for

a time from the chapter, and also from the com

pany of the brothers. And if that do not correct

him, then, with the advice of the discreets or elders,

he is to be publicly expelled from the Confraternity ;

neither is he to be any more admitted unless in the

opinion of all the brothers he is fully amended.

Moreover, if any should use opprobrious ex

pressions, derogatory to the character of another,

or should strike another out of anger, or go to a

prohibited place, or show any disobedience what

ever, or be found to tell a deliberate lie to his su

perior, he is to be punished more or less according

to the condition of the person and the nature of

the case, by a fast on bread and water, or exclusion

from the chapter, as also from the society of the

other brothers.

Likewise, if any should commit a mortal crime,

he is to be punished according to the judgment of

the majority of the professed brothers of the place,

more or less severely according to the condition of

the delinquent and the grievousness of the crime,

in such a way, however, that his punishment may

be a warning to others. And if he refuse to

undergo the punishment, let him, with the ad

vice of the discreets, be expelled the Confra

162

ternity. The same we require to be observed in

every point with regard to the correction of the

sisters.

CHAP. XX.

Of the Congregation of the Brothers and Sis

ters, and the appointment of their Master

or Director.

Once every month on a certain day and hour,

to be named by the Master or his Vicar, all the

brothers of the Confraternity are to meet in the

Dominican church to hear the word of God and

assist at Mass if the hour be suitable. Then the

Master is to read the rule and explain it to them ;

he is to inform them of the business to be trans

acted ; and lastly, he is to correct the negligent, as

charity may suggest, not capriciously, but in

conformity with the rule or form of living. The

first Friday of every month, the sisters are to as

semble in the said Dominican church to hear the

word of God and assist at Mass. To whom also

the Master is to read and explain the rules, and

correct whatever is amiss in them. We order,

moreover, that in each city or town, where there

are brothers and sisters of the third order, they

must have for Master or Director some prudent

Priest of the order of St. Dominick, whom they

have asked of the General or Provincial of said

order, or whom the General or Provincial will ap

point for them. We also will and ordain that the

brothers and sisters of this third order shall in all

163

places be subject, so far as regards their way and

form of living, to the direction and correction of

the aforesaid General and Provincial, the better to

secure their permanence and increase.*

CHAP. XXI.

Of the Dispensation to be granted when a

reasonable cause occurs.

The Prior of the Confraternity can dispense with

the brothers, the Prioress with the sisters, and the

Master or Director appointed over them, with both,

in abstinences, fasts, and other austerities contained

in the previous chapters, as often as they shall see

a lawful and sufficient cause.

CHAP. XXII.

Of the Obligation of this Rule or Form of

Life.

Lastly, in conformity with the constitution of the

order of Brothers Preachers, we will and ordain

that nothing contained in this rule or form of life,

• As was previously remarked, the Tertiaries are subject

to the Bishops and Parish Priests in regard to the sacra

ments, to burial, and to the payment of ecclesiastical dues ;

but in regard to their internal government, the forming of

chapters, the observance of rules, they are wholly depen

dant on the Provincial or his delegate.

In places where there are no Dominicans, the head of

the order is to depute some Secular or Regular Priest to

act as Master or Director ; and where no such appointment

has been made, the Confessor is always to be considered

the delegate.

164

except the divine precepts and commandments of

the Church, shall oblige the brothers and sisters

under any sin whatever, but merely under obliga

tion of undergoing the punishment annexed to their

violation. Which punishment, when it is imposed

by the Master or Prelate, is to be humbly and

promptly received, and performed by the trans

gressing brother or sister, through the grace of our

Lord and Redeemer Jesus Christ, who, with the

Father and the Holy Ghost, lives and reigns one

God, world without end. Amen.

A PARTICULAR RUBRIC K.

Of the manner and order of receiving to tfte

Habit, theBrothers and Sisters ofthe Order

of Penance of St. Dominick, as it is gene

rally observed.

Be it known, that after the person to be received

has been carefully examined by the professed Bro

thers of the said order, and received and accepted

by the Master of the said Confraternity, according

to the rule and its explanation, then, on the day of

the ordinary chapter, which is to be held once a

month, or on some other day appointed by the Mas

ter, the Master, or some other Dominican Priest

delegated by him, in the presence of other Fathers

of the order, and of any respectable persons who

are willing to assist, is to stand before the altar, with

his face towards the people, two lighted candles

being placed on the altar, and the habit lying on

165

the right hand. He who is to be received coming

to the steps of the altar, kneels down, and being

asked by the Master, " Whatdo you require ?" is to

answer, " God's mercy and yours." The Master

will then address him, and afterwards bless the ha

bit in the accustomed form, and in an audible tone

of voice. Next he is to sprinkle with holy water

both the habit and him who is to receive it. Which

being done, the Master, after taking off the secular

clothes from the brother, is to clothe him

with the habit, and while he is clothed with the

black mantle, the hyum, Vent Creator Spiritus, is

to be sung or said by the Clergy and brothers pre

sent. When the Master has invested the brother

with the habit, he too is to kneel down before the

altar to the end of the first verse, after which all

but the newly-received brother arise, and turning

towards each other, finish the hymn. After the

hynin, the Master will say, Kyrie Eleison, Christe

Eleison, Kyrie Eleison, Pater Noster, in secret.

Then aloud, Et ne nos inducas in tentationem.

The brothers answer, Sed libera nos a malo.

V. Emitte Spiritum tuum, et creabuntur.

R. Et Tenovabis faciem terrae.

V. Salvum fac servum tuum.

R. Deus meus, sperantem in te.

V. Dominus vobiscum.

R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

Oremus.

Deus, qui corda fidelium Sancti Spiritus illus-

tratione docuisti, da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta

sapere et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere.

166

Praatende, Domino. tamulo tuo dexteram coelestis

aiAiiii, M te toto corde perquirat, et quae digne

posiulat assoquatnr. Per Christum Dominum

nostrum. Amen.

Then the Master sprinkles the newly-received

brother *iih holy water. And if more than one be

received at the SUM time, the plural number is to

bo used instead of the singular in the prayers just

mentioned. And if the person received is, with

the consent of the Master and the Brothers, to pro-

less immediately, according to the concession in

serted iu the fourth chapter of this rule, he must

place his hands between those of the Master for

the greater solemnity of his profession, and say in

a clear and distinct manner, " To the honour of

God Ahui$hty. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and

of the most Blessed Virgin Man-, and of the

Blessed IVwniniok, 1, brother >>\, before you," &c,

as will be found in the tourth chapter.

The TV IV** is then said, while the kiss of

peace is given to the new brother by the brothers

of lender standing in the order.

The Master will do well, at the termination of

the cem»*ow\\ to exhort the newly-received brother

in * btiet" ana energetk manner. All may termi

nate with the xerskfe,

Ow h»lp is in the name of the Lord.

K. W K> wade he*r«n and earth.

167

THE TE DEUM.

We praise thee, 0 God : we confess thee Lord.

Thee, the eternal Father, all the earth doth wor

ship.

To thee all the Angels, to thee the Heavens and

all the Powers ;

To thee the Cherubim and Seraphim cry out

without ceasing,

Holy,

Holy,

Holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.

Full are the heavens and the earth of the ma

jesty of thy glory.

Thee, the glorious choir of the Apostles,

Thee, the honourable array of the Prophets,

Thee the white-robed army of martyrs doth

praise.

Thee the holy Church throughout the earthly

globe proclaims,

The Father of immense Majesty,

Thy venerable, true, and only Son,

And likewise the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ !

Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father;

Thou, about to take on thee the deliverance of

man, didst not abhor the Virgin's womb.

Thou, having overcome the sting of death, hast

opened to believers the kingdom of Heaven.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the

glory of the Father.

Thou art believed to be the Judge to come.

[Kneel.}—We therefore beseech thee, help thy

168

servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy pre

cious blood.

Make them be numbered with thy Saints in

eternal glory.

O Lord, save thy people and bless thy inheri

tance.

And govern them and exalt them for ever.

Every day we magnify thee.

And we praise thy name for ever and ever.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without

sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, be upon us ; we have

hoped in thee.

In thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; let me not be

confounded for ever.

FINIS.

Printed by W. Powell, 68, Thomas-street.

INDEX.

Dedication, 3

Veneration of the Blessed Virgin—Devotion of the

Rosary, 5

Catechetical Instructions on the Rosary, . . 32

Nature of Indulgences—Indulgences granted to the

Confraternity of the Rosary, .... 43

Necessity of meditating on the Mysteries of the

Rosary—Brief Instructions on Meditation, . 51

Acts of Contrition, Faith, Hope, and Charity, . 57

Rosary of the Holy Name of Jesus, ... 60

Litany of do. 70

Rosary of the Blessed Virgin, .... 75

Litany of do. 108

The same in Latin, 109

Angelus Domini, 114

De Profundis, 116

Form of Reception into the Confraternity of the

Rosary, 118

Form of Offering, 120

Blessing of the Scapulars and Habits, . . 122

of the Beads, ib.

Form of General Absolution given at the point of

Death, 124

Prayers at Mass, 125

Manner of serving Mass according to the Dominican

Rite .143

Rule of the Third Order of St Dominick, . . 145

Manner of receiving into the Third Order, . . 164

Te Deum, 167

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